


Vanish

by ADangerousGame



Series: Mad World [2]
Category: American Horror Story, American Horror Story: Asylum
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-26
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2019-07-17 17:57:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 18
Words: 47,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16100819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ADangerousGame/pseuds/ADangerousGame
Summary: Madison "Madi" Harmon took up a job at Briarcliff Manor because her family was in desperate need of money. She first noticed the odd behaviours of the staff and then, something a little more ominous. What did she get herself into?





	1. Chapter 1

_Massachusetts 1964_

            “Alright, just fill out these forms and you’re good to go.”

            “Thank you,” I replied with a sigh.  My head was already pounding from the incompetence of the nurses. There had been a slew of avoidable problems, including but not limited to the loss of files and forms. They had kept me here for the better part of the day when all I wanted to do was take my sister back home. 

            Violet had taken up smoking at a young age and the rate of her usage increased exponentially when she hit her late teens.  It started with just shortness of breath and light coughing, but soon, she was hacking blood and father dragged her to the doctors.  None of them would tell us what was wrong, but soon, it became a little more apparently.  By then, the cancer had spread and she was hospitalized.  There, the doctor told us that she wasn’t going to live past her birthday.  Because of her rapidly weakening state, she was hospitalised.

            Father and I thought we were going to lose anyone member of our family, but several months later, her condition improved and it kept improving until the doctors were actually confident that she was going to survive.  The cancer had halted in its growth.  None of us knew how it happened, but it did and we were eternally grateful.  Mother’s death had hit us hard.

            We were looking forward to a new addition to our family - twin brothers.  Instead, we had to bury our mother and the sole infant who survived, father couldn’t even stand looking at him.  I was left with the responsibility of taking care of Michael and making sure that Violet wasn’t going to fall back into her bad habits. 

            “Fuck off, Madi,” Violet grumbled as I started to recite the do’s and don’ts to her. 

            I pursed my lips.  I had taken the maternal role since mother died, but it was difficult trying to lecture someone who was only two years younger. “I just want to help, Violet.”

            “Well, I don’t want your help, so fuck off.”  She threw herself on to her bed.  “Why don’t you live your own life and leave mine alone.  Go find yourself a husband or something.”

            I felt heat rush up from my neck.  It was true.  I wasn’t getting any younger and many of my former classmates were already married or engaged, but they also didn’t have a baby to take care of nor a dying sister.  I never really had time for myself and even with Violet home and better, it wasn’t as if I could actually trust her to make sure that Michael was alright.

            “Just… Take care of yourself, alright?”

            Violet mumbled back something incoherent.

… 

            Despite being uncooperative at first, Violet actually seemed to have turned over a new leaf.  She helped me with Michael who was growing up quickly.  It felt good having my sister back, but father has also been home more.

            Work was not going well for him.  He was losing patients and the merger income was being stretched thin between the four of us.  The only thing we could do was for me to get a job.  It was a little daunting for me.  I didn't know much about the outside world.  For most of my life, I was at school or at home taking care of Violet, my pregnant mother, and then Michael. 

            I tried waitressing jobs, but I wasn’t strong enough to hold all the plates.  I tried door to door selling, but I wasn’t very good at persuading people.  All I knew about work was what father would discuss during meals. 

… 

            “Hello…?”  I peeked my head through the door. 

            One of the nuns walked towards me with a soft smile on her face.  “Hello, dear.  I’m Sister Mary Eunice.  Is there anything I can help you with?”  Her voice was airy and comforting.

            I smiled back at her.  “I’m Madison Harmon.  I have an appointment with Sister Jude?”

            “Oh!  Of course.  I’ll take you to her office.”

            “Thank you so much.”  From afar, I had been worried that the Sisters were going to be as dreary as the manor, but perhaps I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.  Surely, these people who dedicate themselves to helping people couldn’t possibly be bad. 

            “Sister Jude, Ms. Harmon is here to see you,”  Sister Mary Eunice announced after knocking on the door.  There was no reply.  “Sister Jude?”  No one was inside when Sister Mary Eunice opened the door.  “She must’ve just stepped away.  Why don’t you take a seat over there and I’ll come get you once I find her.”

            I nodded and sat myself on the bench in the foyer.  As I waited, I could hear light music coming from a room to my right.  A couple of Sisters would walk in and back out with trays.  Once they were all it of sight, I stood up and walked towards it.  The room was spacious.  Patients were sitting around, looking bored.  Some were quietly conversing with each other, but the condition of the room was exactly as I imagined it from outside - dreary and bland.

            “Hi!” A short woman with teeth protruding past her lips and a shaved head, save for a ponytail approached me.  “Do you want to play?”

            “I…”  The excited look on her face made it almost impossible for me to say no, so I reluctantly agreed.  Hopefully, Sister Mary Eunice would be able to find me in here. 

            “Let’s play hide and seek!”  She closed her eyes and started counting before I could even reply.

            With a soft sigh, I looked around.  There really wasn’t anywhere to hide.  All the cupboards look locked and I was sure that they weren’t supposed to be wandering around, so I opted to sit behind a long couch by the wall.

            As I sat there, I could hear snippets of a quiet conversation.  There were mentions of Bloody Face. The man was claiming that he wasn’t the killer.  I peeked up and there he was - Kit Walker.  I had seen him on the television.  Father loved talking about the case during dinner.  Being a psychiatrist, he was interested in studying the prolific serial killer.  I was less inclined to ponder about what made someone like Bloody Face ticked, especially over dinner.

            The man in front of me, he didn’t hit me as the type to kill anyone.  He had an angelic face and a head of short, dark brown curls.  A scar at the corner of his lips made me wonder what had happened to him.  As his eyes flickered over to me, I suppressed a gasp and ducked down, feeling like a child being caught red handed.

            My heart was racing in my chest.  I wasn’t even supposed to be here.  Maybe Sister Mary Eunice was looking for me.  I should tell the woman that I had to go. 

            “Ma’am…?”  I looked up to see him looking down at me from the other side of the couch. 

            “Hello,” I squeaked, feeling my face flush.  “I’m sorry about that that.  I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.  I was just - “

            “Found you!” The woman popped out of nowhere with a finger pointed at me.  She was giggling quietly to herself.  “Found you!  Found you!”

            I stood up with a weak smile.  “Yes, you found me.”

            “Ms. Harmon, it seems you are already well acquainted to some of the residents here,” a southern accent drawled. 

            I whirled around to see Sister Mary Eunice standing behind an older woman.  I nervously walked over to them.  This was definitely not the first impression I was hoping to have.  I had imagined myself in a more professional setting and surely not in the midst of playing something like hide-and-go-seek.  “S-sister Jude?”

            “That’s me,” she replied, appraising me with narrowed eyes.  Standing beside Sister Mary Eunice, I could see the stark difference between the two in both appearance and personality.  Sister Mary Eunice had a youthful face, with a kind smile and an even kinder attitude.  Sister Jude, however, had wrinkles marring what was a beautiful face, but she was oozing animosity and self-importance.  “What is a mouse like you doing in a place like this?”

            “I…  I.”  I took a deep breath.  “I want to work here.”

            She raised a thin eyebrow at me.  “You?”  Her sneer made me want to shrink in a hole and never come back out, but I had to do this. 

            “Yes,” I firmly told her.  “I want to work here.  I think I can be an asset to the team.”

            “An asset?” She scoffed.  “You think you can handle all these hooligans?  This isn’t just a hospital, girl.  This is a prison.  All of these people have committed a crime beyond your worst imaginations.  You think you can handle that?”

            “I know I can.”  I was proud to note that my voice didn’t waver at that point.  “Give me a chance and I can show you what I can do.”

            She smirked.  “One chance and only on one condition.”

… 

            I wasn’t sure what made me agree to something so preposterous.  Sure, finding a man had never been an active thought at the forefront of my mind, but never had I thought that I was going to become a nun.  To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t even that religious.  My father was a firm believer of evolution.  If I told anyone the truth, I was sure that they were going to burn me on a stake.

            “Sister Madison Harmon,” Sister Mary Eunice greeted me as I entered the manor on my first day.  “I will be guiding you through your jobs.  I-it’s simple really.  If someone like me can do it, I’m sure you can, too.”  Her smile was genuine, but her self-degrading comment made me sad.  She deserved a better boss than Sister Jude. 

            The first stop was the room I was in the previous day.  “This is the common room.  All the inmates and patients gather here for activities and to have a little bit of fun.  We have books, games, and music.”  The books on the bookshelves looked tattered and torn.  The games were meager and seemed to be missing pieces.  The only music was the same one on loop.  It was a catchy French tune, but something like this would drive most people crazy after listening to it for days on end.

            “Hey, sweet cheeks.”  A brunet man sauntered towards us, leering at Sister Mary Eunice.  “You brought a young, pretty friend with you.”  He turned to me and I pursed my lips as he leered my body up and down.  “What do ya say to spending a night with me?  I have a nice cucumber in my room.”

            My nose wrinkled with disgust, not only from his proposition, but also from the stench of excrements on him.  “No, thank you.”  I could already feel the regret hit me hard.  Of all places, why did I choose Briarcliff?  Oh right, no one else was willing to hire me.

            Sister Mary Eunice gently tugged me away to a more private corner and quietly began to tell me about each other patients and inmates.  “That was Spivey.  H-he’s…  Eccentric.”  Seemingly uncomfortable, she quickly shifted her attention elsewhere.  “That’s Pepper, the one you met yesterday.  Over there is Grace and Kit.”  Under her breath, she added, “He’s Bloody Face.  The serial killer who murdered all those women.”  As she continued to name people, I kept my eyes on Kit.

            Even now, after a new day, he didn’t seem like a serial killer to me.  His voice was polite, with a southern twang to it.  Those dark eyes were deep, but didn’t hold the same deadened element in them that I’ve seen in father’s photos.  Instead, he looked rather defeated as he rubbed the back of his neck in pain.

            “Well…  That’s everyone here.  Let me show you the kitchen, hospital wing, and dormitories.”  Sister Mary Eunice turned around and began to head downstairs.  “Well, I guess you wouldn’t need to know where the dormitories are.  I-it must be nice having a home to go to.”

            I nodded.  “Do you have any family?”

            “Oh, no…”  She looked down, making me feel guilty for asking.  “Well, I have an aunt and cousin, but my parents died when I was very young.”

            “I’m sorry,” I whispered.  “My mother died recently from childbirth, but I have a wonder new baby brother now.”

            “Oh, children.”  Her eyes immediately brightened.  “They are just wonderful gifts to the world.  If only I could have some, but…  Well, I’m completely dedicated to the church, so I guess…  I’ll just…”

            “Sister Mary Eunice!” An elderly man walked by with a wide smile and glasses perched on his nose.

            “Dr. Arden!”  She smiled softly back at him.

            As they spoke, the doctor only had eyes for Sister Mary Eunice.  I took the time to look around the kitchen.  There were a couple of patients cleaning and assisting with the cooking.  From the corner of my eye, I saw one of them spit into the stew.  I held back a grimace and made a note to never eat any of the food here. 

            Taking a glance back at the Sister and Doctor, I saw that they were still talking and decided to get to know the place on my own.  I approached the steps and looked up, the hospital wing and dormitories must be up there.  I turned my head to the steps leading downward.  It was much darker there.  I looked around.  It didn’t seem as if I wasn’t allowed there. 

            With that thought, I made my way down.  There were metal doors there, each with a small window at eye level.  It was eerily quiet until I got to the end of the long hallway where I could hear muffled screams. 

            “Let me out!” 

            “Help me!”

            “The devil rip your body apart and take your soul!”

            “Let me out!”

            “Kill me!”

            “Savages, all of them.”  I gasped and whirled around to see Sister Jude with a sneer on her face.  “They think we’re miracle workers and think these beasts can actually redeem themselves.”

            “S-sister Jude,” I breathed.  “I’m sorry.  I - I…  I didn’t mean to overstep my boundaries by being here, if I’m not allowed.”

            “Oh, no.  Be my guest.  The more you’re here, the less I’ll have to deal with them myself.”  She turned around and began to walk away.  “But don’t get too close or you might find yourself joining them.”

            Her words felt more like a warning than anything else.  Were any of these people former staff members?  The thought left a sinking feeling at the bottom of my stomach.  What had I gotten myself into?

            Spinning on my heels, I ran back down the hall and up the stairs, bumping into a man on the way.  “I - I’m sorry.”  I made to keep going, but a hand on my arm stopped me.

            “No, that’s alright.”  He smiled.  “It was my fault.  I’m new here.  Dr. Oliver Thredson.”

            “M-Madison Harmon.  I mean…  Sister Madison Harmon,” I stuttered.  His charming smile made my heart skip a beat.  “I’m new here, as well.”

            “Well, I guess we can both learn together then?” He replied.  “And did you say Harmon?  Could you possibly be related to Dr. Ben Harmon, the psychiatrist?”

            “He’s my father.  Are you a doctor, too?”

            His smile widened.  “Yes, I’m here for the Bloody Face case.  Perhaps you’ll know him as Kit Walker here.”

            I nodded.  “Is he…  Is he actually Bloody Face?  He doesn’t seem the type to me.”

            “Well, that’s what I’m here to find out.”  The smile turned into something ominous that made my blood run cold.


	2. Chapter 2

            “Madi, why are you working in that crazy house?”

            I was packing a sandwich in my bag and smoothing out my habit with the other hand.  “You know why, Vi.  I’ve said it a million times.  We need money, so I’m going to help get some.”

            “By being a _nun_?  Really, Madi?  You don’t even believe in God,” Violet said, rolling her eyes.  “They’re going to burn you on a stick when they find out.”

            I grimaced.  That was the exact same thought I had before.  “Who’s going to find out?  I’m not going to go around announcing it to everyone and I doubt they’ll _really_ care.  You should’ve seen some of them.  Sister Jude scary and there is this new Dr. Thredson there who makes me want to hide.”

            Violet lifted an eyebrow at me.  “You’re just a coward, Madi.”

            I wanted to believe her, but Thredson really just made those cold chills run down my spine.  “I hope that’s it, Vi, but if I don’t come back one day,  I’m either dead or trapped in that place.”

            I leaned down to kiss Michael’s soft, chubby cheeks.  “You, too, Mikey.  Come save your big sister when she’s in trouble.”  He looked back at me with wide eyes and gurgled happily as he tugged at my hair, reminding me that I still needed to put it up.  “Be good, okay?”

            With that, I left for work.

…

            I was rolling out a trolley of lunch trays.  Each had a little slip of paper attached to it with a name.  I could see a clear sign of favouritism.  The one with the shortest stick was the newest patient - Kit Walker.  I left his last, cautiously setting it down in his cell. 

            He looked up and gave me a small smile.  “Thanks, ma’am.” 

            Was that how he charmed the other women?  His smile was disarming and the earnest innocence in those eyes was enough to lure anyone in.  I took a step back before I became too compelled to walk towards him.  “Have a nice day,” I mumbled as I did to everyone else.

            My heart was racing in my chest when I closed his door.  I refused to become another one of his victims. 

            “Sister Madison?  Are you alright?” 

            I took a deep breath to calm myself before shooting Sister Mary Eunice a weak smile.  “Yes, sorry.  I’m still just trying to get used to this job.  It’s…  It’s hard to see so many people like this.  I do believe that some of them deserve a second chance, but…  There are some who are mass murderers and I don’t think people who get off on killing so many others can change.”  I clamped my mouth shut once I realized that I was starting to rant.  “I - I apologise, Sister Mary Eunice.”

            “No, no!” She quickly shook her hands.  “Everyone is entitled to their opinions and I understand where you’re coming from.  There’s really no need to apologise.”

            I walked with her up the stairs to the cafeteria.  “Sister Mary Eunice, do you enjoy working here?” 

            She looked down.  “Yes, I do love helping people and I believe everyone deserves a second chance a-and sometimes it gets a bit hard, but I know that the next day will be better.”

            Her optimism was commendable.

            I ate my lunch in silence as she got up to talk to the other Sisters.  She was such a loveable person. 

            The days went on the same way.  I avoided Sister Jude as much as possible.  She never seemed to have anything good to say.  Every time she opened her mouth, venom spat out.  Her attitude earned the avoidance of all the other residents and non-residents in the manor. 

            Sister Mary Eunice became one of the only people I frequently spoke with.  She was extremely easy to talk to and nothing seemed to make her angry. 

            Surprisingly, the other person I forged a friendship with was Dr. Thredson.  We conversed and debated about different cases.  It was like I was still at home, talking to my father about different patients.  There were still moments when his leery eyes would make me pause and stop to re-evaluate my own profile of him.  It was no use denying his intelligence, but something inside was wrong. 

            “What have you gathered from your study of Kit Walker?” I asked, wondering if he’d end up with the same conclusion as I did.

            He pulled out a small pocket notebook and leafed through the pages.  “Currently, there are no signs of psychosis.  If he goes to trial, he wouldn’t even be able to plead insanity.”

            “Then what is your take on it, doctor?  Is he killing simply out of pleasure?”

           “Well, I cannot fathom what else it could possibly be,” he told me with a raise of an eyebrow.

           I bit my lips, contemplating whether I should tell him my theory, which was no theory at all, but a guess.  “What if…  He’s not Bloody Face?”  I had to put it out there.  It was possible that an innocent man was going to be condemned to a death sentence.  I didn’t want it on my conscious if I could’ve prevented it.

           “Not Bloody Face?”  He had an incredulous look on his countenance.  “The evidence is stacked against him.  I’m not even going to go at it with that angle.”

           I frowned.  “Why not?  All that was said is that his wife was missing.  Her body wasn’t even found!  People go missing all the time.  Doesn’t the saying go ‘Innocent until proven guilty’?  Surely, he couldn’t possibly be convicted over such weak evidence?”

           “It is not up to me to say whether he is innocent or not,” he replied, his eyes darkening.  “Neither is it up to you.  Perhaps you, too, have been enamoured by his young looks and boyish charm?”

           Huffing in indignation, I abruptly stood up.  “No, I have not.  I know you’re only here to determine the mental state of him and whether he can stand at trial or not, but it doesn’t mean that you hold no influence.  If he’s innocent, then we should tell the people who matter.  No one is going to know if he’s just trapped in here.”

           From his expression, I knew that there was no getting through to him.  I’d just have to take matters into my own hands.

           Walking with new purpose, I found Kit Walker sitting on the couch, looking bored.  “Mr. Walker?”

           He gave a small jump before looking at me, startled.  “Ma’am, is there something I can help you with?”

           “Yes, I was wondering if we can just have a little chat?  And, please stop calling me ma’am.”  It had always bothered me that someone who could be older was addressing me as such.  “Sister Madison will do.”

           “Kit, then,” he replied with a smile.

           “Kit, I have a few questions for you.”

           “I’ll answer them to the best of my ability.”  He was so accommodating that it was almost suspicious.

           I cleared my throat.  “Tell me the truth, are you Bloody Face?”  I was going to be blunt, hoping to catch him by surprise, but there was no hesitation with his answer.

           “No, I’m not.  I don't know why everyone is accusing me of being him.  I wouldn’t never harm anyone, let alone women!” Kit exclaimed.

           “Then can you tell me what happened?”

           That was when he hesitated.  “You wouldn't believe me, even if I told you.  No one does.”  The dejected look on his face was enough to break my heart.

           “Please, just tell me.  I’m trying to help.”

           Looking back at me with puppy eyes, he told me a tale that was indeed very difficult to believe.  There had been a huge commotion at his house.  The shaking left him disoriented.  He tried to find his wife, but by the time that everything had settled down, she went missing.  There had been absolutely no sign of her.  He had called the police, but couldn’t find any evidence of an intruder.  They also racked up his incredible tale as someone who was insane.  To begin with, he was quite famous in the neighbourhood as the white man who married a black woman.  They didn’t put it past him to have become bored of the novelty and killed her off. 

           It came as a surprise to both he and I that the police would just simply write him off as Bloody Face just from that event.  From what I gathered, they just needed a scapegoat and there came a man screaming that a bright light had taken his wife. 

           As I sat listening, I tried to evaluate what I could actually believe.  The fact was, his wife’s body was never found.  Anything could’ve happened to her.  But what reason would like he have to embellish it with lies if he wasn’t guilty?  The only other explanation was that everything he said was the truth.  An extraterrestrial entity had taken his wife for whatever purpose, no one knew.

           “Please, believe me,” he begged.  “I love Alma.  I would never do anything to hurt her.”

           I patted the back of his hand.  “I don’t know if there’s anything I can really do to help you, but I’ll try.”  I was going to have to find out the truth.  It would mean finding the real Bloody Face because I had no other ideas how Kit could be proven innocent otherwise.

           “Thank you, Sister Madison.”  He smiled as if I had already freed him.  “That’s all I can ask of you.”

           I nodded and stood up to finish the rest of my duties before Sister Jude could reprimand me for slacking off.  Unless he was the perfect liar, I didn’t believe he had anything to do with it.  As I turned to look at him one more time, I saw Grace sit down beside him and the two were quickly engaged in a quiet conversation.  He sure was quick with charming all the ladies, though.

           “Sister Madison!”  Sister Mary Eunice was half jogging towards me with a wide smile on her face and a book in her hand.  “I found this in the new boxes of donations.  I remembered how you mentioned it, so I…”  She leaned down closer to whisper the rest as if it was a dastardly crime she had committed.  “I took it out as soon as I could for you.”

           I took the book handed to me and smiled at the title.  It was a classic and my favourite.  “Thank you, Sister Mary Eunice.  I’ll be sure to put it in the library once I’m done with it.”

           Giddily, she wound her arm around mine and the two of us made our way to dinner.

           As the night wore on, we had a new patient - Lana Winters.  As all the new patients before her, she was devastated to be in here and shouted that she didn’t belong.  It was a heartbreaking sight.  I tended to stay away from new patients until they were more acclimated to their situation.  It was easier that way.  Besides, Sister Jude was always more than happy to break them in.  Oddly enough, she seemed to have a personal vendetta with this particular woman.

           I walked down the hall, checking all the cells before bedtime and before I was to leave for home.  I was relieved for the one condition I could put in.  I didn’t think I’d be able to keep my own sanity staying here day in and day out.

           “Come on, baby.  Join me here,” I heard Spivey made some lewd noises in his cell. 

           I ignored him and approached Kit’s cell. 

           “Good night, Sister Madison,” he said with a smile.  He always seemed to have that polite smile.  As nice as it was to see it, I could tell when it’s faked.  He wasn't happy here and I didn’t blame him.  I didn’t want to see the day when this place would break him and he’d be as irreparable as the rest of them. 

           “Good night, Kit,” I replied as I made sure his cell was closed and locked.

           From in front of me, I heard a commotion to the left. The guards were still making their nightly cell checks and one of them found a piece of paper in Lana Winters’ cell.  Sister Jude looked angry before a smug look replaced it.  She leaned down and whispered something to the defiant woman.

           “What’s going on?”  I felt his breath gently caress my ears and suppressed a shiver.

           From the corner of my eyes, I could see how close he was, peeking through the small window of his door.  Is forehead was pressed against it, just inches from me.  “Someone found something hidden in one of the cells.  You know how it gets when things don’t go Sister Jude’s way.”

           He chuckled, but I could tell it was slightly forced from the way a frown of worry marred his face. 

           “You should go to sleep.  They’ll be done and it’ll be quiet soon.”

           “Alright.  I’ll see you tomorrow, Sister Madison.”

…

           Kit watched cautiously as Sister Madison Harmon approached him.  Since their first bizarre encounter, he rarely saw her.  It was as if she was avoiding him.  Instead, she spent most of her time with Sister Mary Eunice and Dr. Oliver Thredson.  They must’ve told her about him being Bloody Face.  Everyone thought he had murdered all those women and he was going to be condemned for things that weren’t even his fault.

           When she sat down beside him and bluntly asked if he was Bloody Face, however, he felt a dash of hope.  She wasn’t someone who blindly followed what everyone else believed, or so he desperately hoped.  He really needed an ally who wasn’t a patient here. 

           Out of blind faith, he told her what happened to him.  Everyone thought he was crazy and in denial, but maybe she was different.  She _had_ to be.  As much as he liked Grace, she wasn’t going to be able to help him.  She was committed here on the allegations of her murdering her family.  Even though she had denied it, he didn’t know whether to believe it or not.  It was hypocritical of him because he was in the same situation and he knew that he was innocent.

           For the rest of the day, he couldn’t stop thinking about her.  It was wrong.  Not only was his wife missing or dead, but Sister Madison Harmon was a nun!  He sighed and tried to shift his thoughts to Pepper.  That helped.

           Once night came, however, the sight of her at the doorway of his cell brought back the tightening of his pants.  He watched as she bid him good night.  She was nice to him.  She didn’t treat him like a patient.  He hated seeing the door close and lock shut.  He knew she went home every night and he wished to know where she lived.  Did she sleep well at night?  Did she ever think of him?

           Suddenly, a commotion brought him out of his reverie.  He went up to the tiny window and before he looked to see what was wrong, he took in a deep breath.  The scent of her faintly perfumed hair smelled wonderful. 

           When she walked away, he wondered if he’d ever be able to get that close to her, again.


	3. Chapter 3

            “Madi, why do you even care if he’s Bloody Face or not other than maybe the chance of him skinning you in a dark hallway?”  Violet was following at my heels as I lugged an armful of newspapers into my room. 

            There had been dozens of articles on Bloody Face, hundreds even.  I needed to sort through them all.  Bloody Face had killed in many different locations.  Maybe there was a way to prove that Kit was elsewhere at the time.  That had to prove that he was innocent.  No one could possibly be at two places at the same time.

            Page by painstaking page, I sifted through the black and white prints, clipping the relevant articles out.  Tiny rectangles littered the carpeted floor.  Photos of Kit Walker and drawings of Bloody Face were on them. 

            I spent my entire night just tearing through the papers and too tired to look at them before I fell asleep at the desk. 

            “Madi, you’re going to be late for work!”

            I jolted awake and searched frantically for a clock.  Late!  I was going to be late! 

            Racing to the bathroom, I quickly refreshed myself and threw on the habit.  Sister Jude was going to kill me if I went in late.

            Fortunately, when I arrived at Briarcliff, no one was there to see me sneak in.  My shoes clacked softly against the floor.  What would I be doing at this time?  Doing my rounds.  Yes, that’s good.  I couldn’t get fired so soon. 

            “Sister Madison!”  I turned to see Sister Mary Eunice with her usual smile.  “How are you, today?”

            I smiled back at her.  “I'm good, thank you.  How about you?”

            “Oh, I’ve been wonderful!” She exclaimed.  “The weather is so nice today.  I just wished that I could stand outside and bathe in the sun!”

            As I was about to reply to her, I bumped into a larger form and started to fall backwards when a pair of hands caught me and pulled me forward against a firm chest.  “Sorry, ma’am.  Are you okay?”

            I heard his heart race in his chest, in time with my own.  He smelled of the cheap soap used at the manor, but it didn’t seem so bad on him.  I made to take a step back, but his hands kept me in place, so I merely looked up at him.  “I’m fine, thank you,” I breathed.  “A-and it was my fault as well.  I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

            He smiled.  “It’s no problem, Sister Madison.”

            My face flushed red before gently trying to move away once more.  I was a Sister!  I can’t be this close to him, especially since he was a patient here.  It was inappropriate in every aspect!

            Eventually noticing the position we were in, he finally let go and scurried off, his face a very similar shade to the one that was probably on mine. 

            Once he was out of sight, Sister Mary Eunice began to giggle quietly to herself.  “I think he likes you.”

            My face grew warmer.  “Don’t be silly.  He was just being nice.”

            “He is a very handsome, young man.”  A worried look suddenly replaced the smile.  “But he’s Bloody Face.  What if that’s how he lures innocent women?”

            The same thought had crossed my mind before, but I truly wanted to believe in him, now.  I’d have to get working again when I got him.  Hopefully, the newspapers would solve it for me.

            As the sun began to sit, there was a rush of people, hauling in a screaming boy.  Everyone was in a frenzy.  Several Sisters were huddled together, fearfully whispering to each other.  The guards were rushing towards the hospital wing.  I could see that even they couldn’t cover up their fear.

            What was happening? Who was that boy?  What was wrong with him?

            So many questions swam in my head.

            “Sister Madison!  Sister Madison!” Sister Mary Eunice had a panicked look on her face.  “We need help in the hospital wing and most of the other sisters are too frightened to go.  Please, can you help?”

            I bit my lips and against my better judgment, I followed her.  Even from out here, I could hear the screams.  It was blood chilling.

            Inside, several guards were around one bed where a teenage boy was being held down on to a bed.  He was alternating from screaming and growling at everyone around him.

            Sister Mary Eunice quickly went to help the other poor Sister who looked as if she was going to dart off any moment.  I went to the other side, reluctantly touching the flesh that seemed to burn beneath my hands.

            Sister Jude was barking orders before the boy turned to her and hissed something that I couldn’t hear.  Whatever he said hit the usually stone-faced Sister hard.  She took a step back and quickly told the exorcist to do his job.

            The exorcist hastily read through the text.  The words were quick and seemed to affect the boy.  His thrashing became more violent.  I put my entire weight against his wrist as he roared.  Suddenly, he turned to me, his eyes flashing red and teeth baring.

            “You - Madison Harmon.”  The guttural voice made me gasp, but I refused to let go.  “You would make such a delectable vessel.  I’d stand in front of a mirror and watch as I violate your body over and over, again.”  Sweat rolled down the side of my face.  “I will have you conscious.  You will feel me crawling beneath your skin, watching as I corrupt everything that you are.”  His face split into a wide grin.  “Any other time and I would have it, but today, I have a pure soul that needs me.”

            He flung his head back and let out a final bloodcurdling scream.

            The lights flickered on and off before bathing everyone in darkness.  Silence settled around us like a thick blanket.

            I took a step back and then another and then another.  No, that boy was just very sick In the head.  Demons and devils don’t exist.  It wasn’t possible, but the way his eyes seemed to glow red…  A trick of the light?  Yes, that must’ve been it.  It went out not long after.  That face, though, it was inhuman. I had never seen anything like it.

            When the lights came back on, the boy was dead.  His eyes and mouth remained open, but they no longer looked feral.  In fact, the last expression on his face was one of fear as if he had finally gained control of his body again, only to die in that very moment.

            I let out a shuddered breath.  Never had I felt such terror.

            “Sister Madison?”  When Sister Mary Eunice’s hand settled on my upper arm, I immediately jumped and stared at her with wide eyes.  She stared back.  “Are you alright?  I’m sorry I dragged you into this.”

            Swallowing hard, I gave her a shaky reply.  “Y-yes.  I’ve just never seen anything like this before.  It…  I think I need a moment.”  Her hand around my arm tightened for a moment before releasing.

            With that, I darted out of the hospital wing and into the courtyard.  How long had I been in there?  The sky was dark and the cold breeze just felt cold.  It wasn’t comforting in the least, but I couldn’t stay in there.  Something so horrific, I refused to believe it was simply gone because of words from a book. 

… 

            Kit was walking down the hall with Grace when the lights began to flicker on and off.  He could feel a cold chill run down his spine.  There was a sinking feeling in his stomach.  Something was wrong and his instincts were telling him to get as far away from here as possible.

            “Come on!  This is our chance!”  He saw one of the newer patients, Lana Winters, shout to Grace.  When had they become friends?

            Confused, he watched the two interact. 

            “Let’s go, Kit.”  Grace tugged at his hand, moving towards Lana, but the other woman was quick to stop her.

            “He’s not coming with us!” She protested. 

            “What?  I’m not going to leave him here!” Grace shouted back at her.  “If he’s not going, I’m not going!”

            Lana frowned.  “I’m not having him free to kill women, again!  I’m not going to let him escape!”

            His heart dropped as another stranger thought he was Bloody Face.  He didn’t kill those women!  Was he never going to be free of it?

            Grace huffed and continued to tug at his hand towards the tunnel where Lana had planned to escape.

            “Wait, Grace…”  The bad feeling only worsen as the lights completely went out.  Sister Madison was still here.  He couldn’t just leave her, either, not when something was telling him that she was in danger. 

            “No!  He is _not_ leaving!” Lana continued to argue, even though Grace was now ignoring her and dragging a reluctant Kit along.  When she noticed that it was a lost cause, she took in a deep breath and shouted, “Guards!  Guards!  They’re trying to escape!  Guards!”

            The look of betrayal on Grace’s face made her immediately feel guilty, but it was too late.  The lights had come back on and several orderlies rushed towards them.

            The two of them were hauled away by the bulky orderlies who took them to Sister Jude’s office.  Lana watched with a heavy heart as she knew that she had done the right thing, hadn’t she?

… 

            Once out of the hallway, Kit tried to struggle away, but a quick punch to the stomach left him disoriented and in pain.  As he passed through the foyer, he caught a glimpse Sister Madison standing outside by herself.  Her face was tilted upward and her usually tidy bun had wisps of hair gently blowing in the breeze.

            The orderlies dragged them upstairs to where Sister Jude’s office was located and made them wait outside.   The door was closed.  Someone was there already.

            He closed his eyes to try to clear his mind.  He didn’t know what awaited him inside, but he knew it wasn’t good.  From his short time here, he saw how Sister Jude treated the other patients.  She was relentless and crude, unlike how a nurse should be.  She had no true intentions to help any of them. 

            When the door finally opened and the men pushed them in, he could see Lana inside with the normally well put together woman who looked oddly unnerved.  Something had frightened her and Kit couldn’t help but wonder if Sister Madison was in a similar condition. 

            He willed the unwanted images out of his head.  She had to be okay. 

            “You think you can just leave Briarcliff?” Sister Jude sneered, back to her collected self.  “I will show you what happens to people who think they’re above rules.”  Then, she turned to Lana who was trying to make herself as small as possible.  “Why don’t you pick a cane for us?”

            “I - I…”  Lana hadn’t been thinking.  All she knew was that she couldn’t have Bloody Face free to kill again.  She didn’t think that she’d get her friend in trouble, too.  She didn’t think she’d have a hand in hurting her only friend here.  The burn of Grace’s glare was enough to make her want to disappear.

            “Go on.  Don’t be shy,” Sister Jude urged with a smirk.

            Hesitantly, Lana picked out the second smallest one in the collection.

            “Come on, Ms. Winters.  Live _large_.”  The Sister was disappointed in her choice, but accepted the cane, nonetheless.

            “Now, the two of you will get twenty lashes each.  Bend over the table.”

            “Wait!” Kit protested.  His eyes were wide with horror, not for himself, but for Grace.  “It was my fault.  I was the one who tried to escape and I forced Grace to go with me.  Just punish me.”

            Sister Jude seemed amused by his decision.  “Very well.  Then you can have all forty lashes to yourself.”

            His pants were pulled down and he was forced to half lay against the hard desk. 

            “Why don’t the two of you watch?”  Sister Jude drawled.  “I’m sure this would be a wonderful prize for you, Ms. Winters.”

            Kit took a deep breath and braced himself for the first hit. 

            “Count for me!”

            He gritted his teeth.  “One!”

            Each lashing cut just a little deeper into his skin.  Each lashing made him want to withdraw a little deeper into himself.  He pulled up wonderful memories of his Alma.  The way she smiled and laughed.  The way she moved in the kitchen and tumble into his arms.  Suddenly, her face lightened and the person looking back up at him had piercing blue, inquiring eyes and light brown hair that fell softly down her shoulders.  “Kit…”

            Her warm breath caressed the bottom of his chin and made him smile.  He remembered how she smelled - vanilla and raspberry.

            He sighed before a particularly hard hit snapped him out of his reverie. 

            “Now, get out of my sight!” Sister Jude barked, throwing the cane carelessly to the side.

            Kit painfully slipped his pants back on and slowly straightened his back.  Each step made him wince.  He felt Grace slip a thin arm around his waist and the two brushed by Lana who was still watching with wide eyes. 

            “I can’t believe I even trusted that righteous bitch,” Grace hissed.  “Who did she think she was?”

            He didn’t really want to think about it anymore.  All he wanted to do was lay down on his stomach and close his eyes.  His entire body was aching. 

            They shuffled down the stairs just as Sister Madison walked in.  Her eyes were red and he could see tears still clinging to her eyelashes.  The cold breeze painted the tip of her nose pink. 

            Before he knew it, he was hobbling over to her.  “Sister Madison, are you okay?”

            She turned to him, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands.  “Y-yes.  I was just overthinking some things.  Don’t mind m - _Kit, what happening?!_ ”  She rushed over the rest of the way to him and gently placed a hand on his arm.  “Why are you limping like that?”

            “It’s nothing.”  He looked down and tried to look as if he wasn’t hurting, but couldn’t suppress a wince when pain shot up his spine. 

            “Kit…”

            Suddenly, she was pushed away.  “Don’t pretend like you care!” Grace hissed.  “All of you are exactly the same!  You either take sick enjoyment in our suffering or you turn a blind eye as if nothing was wrong!”

            Sister Madison stared at her with wide, confused eyes.  “I - I don’t understand…”

            “Grace, stop it!”  Kit tried to keep the fiery redhead away from the other woman.  “It wasn’t her fault!

            “Who did that to you, Kit?” Sister Madison asked with a worried frown on her face.  He didn’t like it there, marring her usually smooth features.

            “It was my fault,” he repeated the same lie.  “I wanted to run away, but I got caught, so Sister Jude punished me accordingly.”

            “ _That_ was not accordingly!” Grace protested.  “And if it wasn’t for that bitchy reporter, we would’ve been long gone by now.”

            Kit watched as Sister Madison’s face fall.  “You were just going to run away?  Kit, that’d only make you look guilty. It’s only going to look worse in court if you’re ever found and…  I’m trying my best to look at the evidence, okay?  I want to believe you’re innocent, but not when you’re doing things like this.  If I can, though, I'll try to make your stay here as enjoyable as I can, but I’m not sure what I can actually do.”

            “I understand, Sister Madison.”  Her words were enough to make the pain worth it.  He was almost glad that he was caught, just so he could stay near her.  Even though she hadn’t said it in a definite way, she was trying to prove that he was innocent.  That had to mean something, right?


	4. Chapter 4

            “Madi, you’re getting too into this!”  Violet was sitting on my bed, rolling her eyes at me.  “Who cares if he goes on death row!  It’s got nothing to do with you.  Unless…  Do you have a crush on a loony guy?!”

            I stopped my hands from rearranging the news articles, again.  “I - I don’t have a crush on him!  I just feel like something’s off about the case.  It’s not right to have an innocent man sentenced for things that he hadn’t done.”  Yes, that was it.  Wasn’t that part of the faith?  Some kind of faith?  I really had no clue.  Whether it’s part of any faith or not, if he hadn’t done anything, then he shouldn’t be falsely punished.

            Looking listlessly through my notebook, my mind slowly flitted back to the boy who died.  If none of the religions were right, then what was that?  Something had obviously possessed the boy.  He died right after the exorcism.  The thing left the boy and… Went where?  Did it just go back to where it came from or could it possibly have gone into someone else?  Maybe Sister Jude - no, she seems like the type of person to always be like that.  Perhaps Grace?  The redhead was a lot angrier than I had ever seen her, but it wasn’t the type of anger that seemed… Demonic.

            “Ma…  Ma…”  I snapped out of my thoughts to look at Violet who was holding Michael.  The young toddler was waving his arms at me.  “Ma…”

            “Did he…?”  I looked at him with wide eyes before shifting my gaze to Violet and back.

            “Maaaa…”  He let out a string of giggles and I laughed with him before getting off the chair and picking him up into my arms. 

            “Michael!”  I spun him around.  “Say it, again!  Ma-di!  Madi!”

            “Maaaa...dddd.”

            “Madi,” I repeated, hoping he’d say it properly this time.

            “Maaaadddd...iii.”

            “Violet, did you hear that?!  Michael said my name!” I squealed, excitedly.

            She rolled her eyes, again, before crossing her arms, but I could see the way her eyes lit up when she looked at him.  “Maybe he’s just trying to say you’re mad for pretending to be a detective.” 

            I didn’t let her words bring me down, instead, I continue to try to teach him simple words.

…

            “Sister Madison, may I speak with you?” 

            Not long after I started working, Dr. Thredson had approached me.  His face was remorseful and he seemed a little stressed out.  We hadn’t spoken since disagreeing on the subject of Kit and Bloody Face.  “Yes, of course.”

            “In private if that’s alright.”

            I followed him into an empty room and watched as he gently closed the door.  “What did you want to talk about?”

            He took off his glasses with a sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose.  “I wanted to apologise for the other day.  I’ve been rather stressed.  I understand where you were coming from and I, too, want to prove that Kit is a good man because working with him I noticed that he doesn’t seem to show any psychotic tendencies, but don’t you want it to be true that Bloody Face has really been caught?  In my years, I’ve learned that the most charming and polite men are the ones who are the most dangerous.  I’m just trying to look out for you.”

            I looked down, feeling my own shame.  “I know.  I’m sorry, as well.  I’ve been immature and I know that there have been serial killers who were like that.  I guess, I just still find it hard to imagine Kit would kill those women.”

            He put his glasses back on and offered me a small smile.  “It’s very kind of you to think so, but be careful.  You don’t know who might be lurking in the shadows, waiting for an unsuspecting maiden such as yourself.”

            I felt unnerved at his words.  There was a gleam in those dark eyes that made me scurry over to the door.  “Yes, thank you.  I should get back to work before Sister Jude finds me slacking.  You know how she gets.”

            “I think everyone does,” he chuckled.

            The rest of the day went smoothly.  I served everyone their meals and wandered the dark halls with Dr. Thredson’s words still fresh in my mind.  Everyone here seemed to have an ulterior motive, I couldn’t really tell which ones were malicious and which ones were not. 

            Sister Jude was definitely not a benevolent nun.  I was one of those people who knew what went on behind closed doors, but turned a blind eye towards it.  There wasn’t much that I could do.  Sister Jude was the overseer and anyone who dared to defy her rules were punished.  Not only that, I had once seen her come on to the Monsignor when she thought no one else was around.  With how much she preached, she didn’t seem to heed any of them.

            And then there was Dr. Oliver Thredson - Kit Walker’s therapist.  He was here to determine whether Kit was sane enough to stand trial, but from what I’ve been seeing, Kit was perfectly sane.  I couldn’t tell why it was taking the doctor so long to determine this.  Perhaps it was the constant denial.  Was it possible that Kit could have Dissociative Identity Disorder?  Maybe he couldn’t remember what he did because there were two different minds inside him.  I had seen father tend to patients like that.  It was bewildering to see how two polar opposites could be contained in one body. 

            I sighed as my own reasoning left only more questions to be answered.

            As I continued to walk down the hall, I bumped into Dr. Arden who was looking troubled.  “Is something wrong, doctor?”

            He looked up, startled.  “Ah…  Sister Madison, have you…  noticed something odd about Sister Mary Eunice, lately?”

            The question took me by surprise.  For the past few days, I actually haven’t seen much of Sister Mary Eunice.  I didn’t know what happened, but we no longer spent as much time together as we used to.  I wondered if it was because of my encounter with Kit, but since Dr. Arden had also noticed a difference, it could be something entirely different.  “I’m not sure.  She hasn’t been around as much.  Is there something wrong?”

            “No, no,” he quickly denied it.  “My old age must be catching up with me.  That’s all.”

            He hastily walked away before I could ask him anything else.  Now, he had my curiosity peaking at another direction.  What was going on with Sister Mary Eunice? 

            It did feel odd that she hadn’t been around as much anymore, but I just assumed that she had moved on from the new staff and went back to her old routine, whatever that was.  Had I been wrong?  Was I being a bad friend by not being more worried?  It wasn’t as if I hadn’t seen physical proof that she was alright.  I still saw her several times a day in the halls, in the common room, in the hospital wings. 

            Even though we never had a chance to really talk, I did notice a certain new confidence in her that wasn’t present before.  Sister Mary Eunice had always been a kind woman, but she was never particularly confident in herself.  At least, that was what I gathered from my short time here.  Unless she was a very adept actress, something must’ve changed.

            I thought back to when I first noticed the change in behaviour and felt my blood run cold.  It couldn’t be…  I refused to believe that - that…

            _Pure soul._

            The demon had mentioned a pure soul and I knew no one kinder than Sister Mary Eunice.  Could it have…  No!

            My quickly halted my thought and continued to wander as I aimlessly walked down the hall, until a familiar brunet caught my attention.  “Kit?  What are you doing here?  Why aren’t you in the common room with the others?”

            He flushed and fidgeted with the blanket that laid carelessly around his lap.  “I just wanted some time alone. You know, the song’s been driving me crazy.  I tried to turn it off once, but Grace told me not to because it was against the rules.”

            I nodded with a small laugh.  “I don’t know whether that’s the only song on the cassette or if Sister Jude just really likes that song.”

            He shrugged with a smile of his own.

            “Do you mind some company?”

            Kit looked nervous to his lap before slowly scooting over.  “Sure.  I-I’m not really educated enough to give you an intelligent conversation like Dr. Thredson, though.”

            Shaking my head, I couldn’t suppress the smile from spreading across my face.  “You don’t have to go to school to be intelligent and it’s not always fun to only talk about political or medical topics.  I like you the way you are, Kit.”

            He flushed red before replying, “I - I like you the way you are too, M... Sister Madison.”

            I bit my lips and mentally cursed the day that I decided to join the nunnery just to work here.  What a mixed blessing.  On one hand, I would never be able to get close to a guy.  On the other hand, this is where I’ve met the first man I ever wanted to be close to. 

            The two of us conversed about nothing in particular.  To be honest, it probably would’ve been just as good in silence as long as we were in each other’s company.  I didn’t think I’d ever find someone like him.  I could only hope that he wasn’t going to break my heart, or worse.

… 

            He couldn’t get her out of his mind.  Somehow, she managed to worm her way into his every thought.  The common room reminded him of her.  The foyer reminded him of her.  The very concept of lunch reminded him of her.

            Even as he retreated back into his sorry excuse of a room, he was reminded of the way she smelled when he was only a metal door away from her.  All these thoughts, he knew they were wrong, but he couldn’t get them out of his head.  Maybe he really _is_ crazy.  How could he think sure thoughts about a nun?  She were untouchable.  And he still had a missing wife to find, but he couldn’t even begin to do that.  All he wanted to do was bury his face in Madison’s hair, feel her soft bloody beneath him, and bury himself deep within her.

            He groaned as the rough fabric of his prison pants strained against his hard on.  It had been a few weeks since he’d been here.  It had been two weeks since he met Madison and each day was harder and harder to suppress his sinful desires. 

            Kit leaned back and slid hand past the elastic waistband before closing his eyes to imagine something a little more satisfying.

            He imagined a curtain of silky brown hair spread across his pillow. A small form was panting against his chest, each breath in time with him sliding in and out of her.  Her soft cries of his name nearly pushed him off the edge, but he couldn’t let it end there.  He needed her to come with him.  He needed her to scream his name.  He needed -

            “Kit?”  He quickly threw the blanket across his laps and stared at her with wide eyes.  Sweat dripped down the side of his face.  Seeing her didn’t help.  It didn’t help that he wasn’t able to finish.  All he wanted to do now was grab her, pull her on to his bed, and ravish her.  It didn’t even matter if the door was closed or not.  “What are you doing here?  Why aren’t you in the common room with the others?”

            Her questions barely registered in his mind as he fidgeted with the blanket.  His excuse blurted out automatically as all he could do was stare at her.  And when she offered to stay with him, he knew he had to deny her.  With her inside the small confines of his room, possibly on his bed, it’d be too much for him to bear.  That wasn’t something he could do, though.  He couldn’t seem to deny her anything, so he scooted over like a fool, hoping that his pants were still on right and that she wouldn’t notice his raging erection.

            “I like you the way you are, Kit,” he caught the last of what she was saying and flushed.  She liked him.  He felt like a prepubescent boy, having his first crush. 

            “I - I like you the way you are too, M… Sister Madison.”  He didn’t like to think of her as one of those emotionless nuns, but he couldn’t just call her by her name.  It’d be impolite.  Even if he had these sinful thoughts about her, as long as he didn’t express any of them, it’d be fine, right?  He just needed to remember all the manners his ma taught him. 

            His eyes immediately flitted over to her lips as she bit them.  Could she tell what she was doing to him?  Could she smell the desire wafting over to her?  Would she be embarrassed?  Angry?  Scared?  Would she run away from him like all the others who thought he was Bloody Face?

            She leaned in just a little closer as she whispered, talking about Dr. Thredson and her worries.  He really wanted to be supportive of her, but it was far too difficult to concentrate on anything she was saying when his senses were completely overwhelmed by her very presence. 

            “But I really don’t think you’re bad,” she continued on.  “No matter what anyone says.  The side that I see is this perfect gentlemen who cares about others and would rather see himself harmed that those around him.”  She reached over to touch his hand.  She was warm.  Her skin felt soft against his own.

            He sighed and slowly felt himself relax into a more natural state as they continued to quietly converse.


	5. Chapter 5

                “Dad, what do you think about the Bloody Face case?”  He was a psychiatrist himself, surely he’d know something about it. 

                He stretched and crossed his hands behind his head.  “Why do you want to know?  You’ve never asked me about specific cases before.”

                I shrugged.  “I’m just curious.  We never get serial killers like this here.”

                He shot me a pointed look.  I knew he knew that I was lying, but maybe he’d try to appease me.  “I think that everyone is safer with him off the streets.”

                That wasn’t the reply that I was hoping for.  “Do you think they got the right person?”

                “Madi, what is this about?” He straightened his back before leaning forward.

                I bit my lips and didn’t reply, but he seemed to have already figured it all out on his own. 

                He shook his head in disbelief.  “I want you to stop working there.  I will talk to your boss if I have to.”

                “No, dad!” I quickly protested.  “I’ve met Kit and he’s nothing like what they portray him to be!  I really don’t think he’s Bloody Face!”

                “I’m sure all those women thought the same thing before he brutally killed them all,” he dead panned.  “Madi, I don’t want any arguments about this.  I’m only looking out for your safety.” 

                “I’m perfectly safe there!”  At least from Kit.  I was pretty sure that he wasn’t going to hurt me, but I wasn’t so sure about the others.  “I promise, if anything goes wrong, I’ll quit, alright?”

                Reluctantly, he agreed. 

                I sighed.  That didn’t help at all other than made him aware that the person convicted of being Bloody Face was kept at Briarcliff.  But at his reaction, did he also believe that Kit was the murderer or was he just being overprotective?

…

                My tied up hair was suffering.  The humidity in the air was making all the loose strands stand on end.  I really hoped that it wasn’t going to start storming soon.  Getting home would be difficult at night.  Maybe I could stay here if it got really bad.  There were more than enough beds at the dormitory.

                As I pondered, I found Sister Mary Eunice sauntering over to me with a smirk on her face.  It looked odd on her.  I was so used to her kind smile and greeting, but I received neither.  Instead, she stopped in front of me, her eyes seemed to have flashed red for a split second.  “Hello, Madison.”

                “G-Good morning, Sister Mary Eunice.”  Why didn’t she drop my title?  She had never done that before.  “How are you?”

                “Oh, much better,” she purred, leaning in close.

                I took a step back.  “Did something good happen?”

                “You could say that.”  Her smirk widened.  “What about you, Madison?”  Her hand reached over and rested on my arm, similar to that night.  It was uncomfortably warm, perhaps even hot, burning through the layers of fabric. 

                “I’m doing well, thank you,” I politely replied, wondering if it’d be rude if I removed her hand from my person.  As I made to move back further, her grip tightened.  “S-sister Mary Eunice, you’re hurting me!”

                She tilted her head before letting go.  “I apologise.  I forget how fragile you can be.”  With that, she turned and walked away, leaving me baffled.

                The entire day, I couldn’t get rid of the notion that not only was there something wrong with Sister Mary Eunice, but she had been possessed by the demon who had killed the boy.  It had wanted a pure soul and he got one.  Was Sister Mary Eunice still in there or had she been consumed by the evil being?

                I felt sad and remorseful that I never got to know her better.  She was such a kind person who always looked after others first.  It wasn’t fair that it’d happen to her.  Weren’t good people supposed to have good things happen to them?

                Tears began to blur my vision.  Aside from Violet, she was the only other true friend I had.  It wasn’t right…  It just wasn’t right!

                “Sister Madison, are you okay?”

                I gasped and looked up to see Kit staring back down at me with worry on his face.  He knelt down and gently wiped the tears that were slowly trailing down my cheeks.  “I - I’m f-fi…”  I wanted to reassure him that nothing was wrong, but the words wouldn't come out right because everything wasn’t okay and I wasn’t fine.  Screwing my eyes shut, I tried to keep myself from letting out another sob, but it was impossible. 

                Here I was, trying to solve a serial murder case that I deemed unjust, working a job that I never thought I would do, being someone I never wanted to be, and having to deal with a wandering evil spirit that just took the body of my friend.  I was in way over my head.  Maybe father was right.  I should quit before anything else happened.

                Suddenly, arms enveloped me and pulled me close against a warm chest.  “It’ll be okay.  You know you can tell me anything, right?  I might not be able to do much in my situation, but I’ll try my best to help you.”

                I buried my face deeper into his scratchy button-up shirt and cried.  I didn’t want to be here, but I didn’t want to leave him.  I didn’t know what to do…

                Kit held me until long after my tears had dried up and soaked into his shirt.  He didn’t let go even when I readjusted myself so that I was leaning more comfortably against him, listening to the rhythm of his heart beating against his chest. 

                I knew that if anyone found us like this, we’d both be in big trouble, but it was difficult for me to separate myself from him. 

                “Madison…” 

                I looked up.  It didn’t feel wrong hearing him say that.

                “I know it’s not right to feel this way, not when I’m married with a missing wife nor because you are… Who you are… But I can’t help how I feel.  I don’t mind if you never want to talk to me again, but I really need to tell you that…”   He looked away briefly before staring me in the eyes and my heart began to race as I waited for him to continue.  “I-I really like you, Madi.”

                Blood was rushing so loudly in my head that I wasn’t sure if I heard correctly.  I stared at him with wide eyes as he nervously stared back.  “... P-pardon…?”

                That seemed to have snapped us out of it.  He immediately let go of me and stuttered an apology.  As he was about to run off, I grabbed the hem of his shirt to keep him from leaving.  “Wait!  Kit, I…  Don’t go,” I ended with a whisper.  “Please, stay.”

                He gulped loudly, but returned to the lumpy cot.  His head hung low as he refused to look at me and his hands were clasped together in his lap, waiting for rejection.

                I sighed and placed my hand on top of his.  With the other, I gently turned his face towards me.  “Kit, you know that with this job,I can’t be… romantically involved.”  I could see unshed tears well up in his eyes and he tried to turn away, but I held firm.  “It doesn’t mean that I don’t feel the same for you, Kit, but in our current circumstance, neither of us can afford to do anything wrong.  I could get fired and you…  They might get the wrong idea about you.  I wouldn’t be able to live with the fact that I was involved with you being sentenced to death, especially when I know you hadn’t done anything wrong.”  Somewhere along the line, I knew deep inside that he was innocent, but that didn’t mean anyone would believe me without proof.  “When they prove you’re not guilty and once my financial situation gets better, I think we can…  Try it.”

                Kit seemed to brighten up a little, but he knew that there was too much at stake for him, right now.  It left no room to make mistakes.

…

                As the day went on, it became obvious that a storm was coming.  Dark clouds loomed over the manor, matching the mood of the residents within.  Many of the patients were getting restless as they weren’t allowed outside and some appeared fearful.

                Sister Jude, who had also been acting oddly today, suggested a movie.  The common room was lined with chairs facing a small TV.

                Once the movie started, I left the room and quietly sneaked down the stairs to find Kit waiting for me in his cell.  Sure, I told him we couldn’t be intimate, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to spend whatever time I had with him.  This was also the perfect time to question him on his whereabouts during the times that the women were murdered.

                When I asked, he didn’t seem offended like I feared.  Instead, he was very cooperative and even grateful that I was trying to help him.  I tried not to get his hopes up, but most of his time was divided between working at the gas station and spending time with his wife.  His wife was missing, but if I could pin down that all the murders happened during his time at work, then perhaps that’d be enough to set him free.

                We quietly talked back and forth until Grace and Lana came running by.  I didn’t know when they settled their differences, but both of them were wide-eyed and panting when they stopped in front of us.

                They glanced nervously at me, so I quickly bade Kit good night and nodded my head to the other two.  I heard them immediately whisper to him.  Their voices grew louder as I walked further away. 

                “I’m not leaving!” I heard him shout and halted in my steps.  What exactly were they talking about? 

                I quickly hurried over to an empty cell and peeked out.

                “Kit, we have to do it now while everyone’s busy and watching that stupid movie!” Lana argued. 

                “I thought you didn’t want me set free?” Kit retorted.  They must’ve planned this before and things hadn’t gone as planned.  I felt disappointed knowing that he would do something like that, but it seemed that he must’ve had a change of heart.  Perhaps my words had gotten to him.  If he ran now, he’d never have his name cleared unless the real Bloody Face is caught.

                “I don’t,” Lana replied.  “But I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt because I want to get out of here and I saw how you took those lashings for Grace.  You better not betray my trust.”

                He shook his head.  “You don’t have to worry about that.  I told you that I wasn’t going to leave.  I’m innocent.  I’ll get out of here when they catch Bloody Face.”

                “It seems that whatever you have been doing has changed him.”  I jumped at the sudden voice behind me.

                “Dr. Thredson!” I quietly exclaimed.  “What are you doing here?”  He was nearly pressed against me as the cell didn’t permit large parties inside. 

                “The movie simply wasn’t to my taste, so I decided to talk to Mr. Walker, but it seems that he’s had quite a lot of visitors tonight.”  He looked down knowingly at me and I feared that he had seen Kit and I together.  “And you?”

                I looked down.  “I didn’t feel like watching the movie either.  I was just going to make a quick round down here before returning home, but I might not be able to do that because of the storm.”

                “I can give you a ride home if you’d like,” he offered.  “I’ll be going soon as well.”

                His eyes seemed darker than usual as he looked at me.  I wanted to go home and spend the storm somewhere I felt safe, but I also didn’t want to go with him.  Since I mentioned Kit’s possible innocence, I haven’t been able to rid myself of the feeling of danger whenever the doctor was around.  Maybe I was blinded by my own forbidden love for Kit and the obvious disdain that Dr. Thredson had for him, but I wasn’t sure.

                “It’s alright,” I told him.  “It’d be interesting spending a night here.  I’ve never done it before.”

                He placed his hand on my shoulder, squeezing it gently.  “I’ll be here for another half an hour.  Come find me if you change your mind.”

                I nodded as he walked away.  When I looked back down the hall, the two women were gone, along with Kit.  It seemed that I hadn’t changed him as much as I’d like.  I could only hope that he didn’t get caught because that’d put him in an even worse position.

                I had gone back upstairs and spoke to Sister Jude, who still seemed shakened about something.  She was particularly dismissive and merely told me to go to an unoccupied bed in the dormitories. 

                When I arrived at the dormitories, it was easy to pick out which beds were taken and which weren’t.  The thick layers of dust on the covers were disgusting.  I carefully pulled it off and waved it around in the hall until I was sure the colony of intertwined particles weren’t going to devour me in my sleep.

                “I see you won’t be needing a ride, then.”  His breath tickled my ear.

                I quickly turned to see Dr. Thredson only a hair’s breadth away.  The shadows casted upon his face made his eyes seem even darker than usual.  “Dr. Thredson!  You startled me!”  My heart was racing and it didn’t seem to want to settle.

                “Oliver is fine,” he corrected.

                “Oliver…”  The name didn’t seem to suit him.  “Thank you for your generous offer, but I’ve decided to stay here for the night.  I don’t want to bother you with the extra drive.”  And I wasn’t sure if I wanted him to know where I lived, either.

                “I’ve told you that it’s absolutely no problem,” he insisted.  His hand grazed the side of my arm as he spoke.

                I bit my lips, not quite sure how to proceed with this conversation.  “I wish to experience a night here, but I am deeply grateful.”

                “Very well.  It doesn’t seem like I’ll be able to change your mind,” he conceded.  “However, I hope you’re not staying here because of a certain resident downstairs."

                I didn't like the way he was speaking to me.  What I did on my own free time was really no business of his.  "Thank you for your concern, Oliver.  Have a good night."  With that, I walked away before he could say another word.

                That night at Briarcliff, it was awkward and I couldn't bring myself to fall asleep.  Many of the nuns snored loudly.  I could also feel Sister Mary Eunice's eyes on me the entire night.  Before everything her sudden personality change, I couldn't have minded sleeping beside her.  She had become something akin to a sister.  Lately, however, my blood would run cold whenever she was around.

                I tossed one more time to the side before throwing the cover off me.  I couldn't take it anymore.  There was even a part of me that wished I had taken up Dr. Thredson's offer.  It was as if I was trying to choose between two evils.

                "Where're you going, Madison?" I heard the purr right beside my ears the moment I left the dormitories.

                I turned to see Sister Mary Eunice with a smirk on her face.  "Curfew was a while ago.  You should return to bed.  I wouldn't want you to get into trouble."  She took a step forward until she was nearly pressed against me.  "If you're lonely, you are always welcome in my bed."

                My eyes widened at her insinuation.  This was definitely not the friend I knew.  "Sister!  What has gotten into you, lately?  You've been behaving so oddly since…  since…"  I frowned.  It had been a few days now.  Right during the time that…  My eyes widened.  "You - !"

                She slammed me against the opposite wall, cutting me off.  "Shh…"  Her breath graced my ears.  "You shouldn't be so loud or Sister Judith would come to punish us.  I can't say I'd mind it much, but I do prefer to be the one punishing misbehaving little girls, instead."

                "Get out of her, demon!" I hissed, not quite believing what was actually happening.  "There are so many other people you could've possessed.  Why her?"

                She chuckled.  "I told you that I wanted a pure soul.  Hers was practically a blank slate for me to corrupt."

                I couldn't have this thing occupying my friend's body, but what was I to do?  Who could I tell without sounding like a completely lunatic?  I didn't fancy being locked up here as a patient.

                "Come."  She trailed her lips down my neck.  "Let's get back to bed."

                Before I could struggle away, my eyes fluttered shut and I knew no more.


	6. Chapter 6

                I woke up the next morning, completely confused as to where I was and why my head felt as if something was drilling a hole through it.  I was not one to drink, but I think this was probably what a hangover would feel like.

                I could tell that something had happened last night, but I couldn't figure out what.  It was like forgetting a very vivid dream.

                "Good morning, Sister Madison!"  I saw the cheery face of Sister Mary Eunice hover over me.

                "Good morning, Sister Mary Eunice," I replied with a yawn.  "How are you?"

                "Wonderful, thank you."

                I quickly got ready after giving my father a quick call and readied myself for work.  Everything was going smoothly.  It seemed that Sister Judith had taken a bit of a day off because I hadn't seen her at all.  She had been behaving oddly since yesterday.  That must've been it.  She was tired.  Everyone needed a day off every once in a while and the dictator was no different.

                "Come on!"  Sister Mary Eunice linked her arm with mine and began to drag me to the cafeteria where dozens of trays were being prepared.  She was in such a good mood.  Did something good happen, last night?  I'd be horrified if someone snuck in a bottle of alcohol and that was why I was walking through the halls like a lost puppy.

                I loaded the trays on to one of the trolleys.  Something was definitely nagging at the back of my mind, but I had no clue what it was.  It was so strange.  Something happened the night before, but I just couldn't place it at all.

                Whenever I thought too hard, a pounding headache would shoot through my eyes and practically detain me from my duties.

                "Is something wrong, Sister Madison?"  Sister Mary Eunice was looking at me with concerned eyes and a small smile on her lips.

                "N-no.  Nothing.  Thank you for asking."  I sighed and brought the trolley to the cafeteria.  My eyes immediately landed on Kit who was sitting with both Grace and Lana.  The two women had looks of terror on their faces, but Kit only looked perplexed.

                "How are you lot, this morning?" I politely asked them as I placed their breakfast down, along with their usual medications.

                Kit smiled back at me.  "Good, sister.  How are you?"

                "Not too bad."  I returned his smile. I  wished that we didn't have to hide our affection for each other.  Once he was declared innocent, I was going to find another job and we wouldn't have to do this anymore.

                "Sister, have you been to the woods around the manor, lately?" Grace suddenly asked me.

                I shook my head.  'Why?  I believe there isn't much around there, at all."

                She grinned widely at me.  "Oh, it's actually quite beautiful there.  You should see it sometime, especially at night."

                "Grace!"  Both Kit and Lana scolded her.

                "Sister Madi – Madison, she was only kidding."  Kit quickly added.  "The hills there are probably pretty dangerous from what I could see.  You shouldn't go there."

                I nodded, absentmindedly.  What was going on with them?  How did Grace even know about the backyards?  It was prohibited to both patients and staff.  Perhaps she was only making it up.  Was this something I should tell someone about?

                "Well, have a very good day."  I wheeled the trolley away, my mind racing with different questions that I wondered if I would ever have answers for.

                Once I was done giving everyone their meals and medication, I went upstairs to clean up the dormitories.  We each had rotating shifts and it was my turn to fix up the dusty room.

                As I was taking the old covers and putting new ones on, I realised that dust was the least of my worries.  There were many little critters crawling in corners and under the beds.  I felt as if I was going to start hyperventilating, especially knowing that I had been sleeping there. 

                I danced around them as if they were sharks in water, but I could swear that at least several had touched me.  Shivers went up my spine as I thought I could feel their creepy little legs move along my skin.

                "What are you doing, Madi?"  I heard an amused voice behind me.  "Are you looking for a dance partner?  I’m not sure I know that dance."

                I looked up to see Kit with a grin on his face.

                "Oh, shush, you!  I'm trying not to be eaten by these little monsters," I grumbled, batting a spider away with my broom, only to have it crawl up the bristles and quickly ascend the wooden handle.

                I shrieked and threw the entire broom against the wall and scurried away as if it was a on fire.

                Kit immediately rushed over.  He looked confused and concerned, while checking my hands for any injuries.  "What happened?"

                I shook my head.  Tears were already welling up in my eyes at the rush of adrenaline.  I could also feel my face glow red with embarrassment.  This was not how I wanted to present myself to him.  _Ever_.

                "Madi, come on.  Look at me."  He tilted my chin up to face him.  His dark eyes were warm and inviting.  The panic dissipated, replaced by a wave of desire.

                "There was a spider on the broom," I finally mumbled.

                He chuckled, brushing my hair back and fixing my headpiece.  "Do you want me to get rid of it for you?"

                Timidly, I nodded.

                Still chortling to himself, he went over to the broom and quickly examined it.  "'S not here, anymore," he said, before turning around.   He froze, looking at a point on my shoulder.

                Dread immediately filled me.  Oh, no…  "What is it?!" I squeaked.

                He cautiously crept over.  "Don't.  Move."

                I held my breath as he clamped his hands on my shoulder and pulled me up for a kiss.

                My eyes widened in shock.  With the critters forgotten, I melted against him.

                Although the location wasn't much better than the first time, at least we had a room to move around a little without bruising ourselves.

                He sighed and pressed me against the wall.  The warmth radiating off his body made my head feel fuzzy.  I smiled dazedly at him until I saw a different face in front of me.  Instead of wavy, combed back hair and warm chocolate orbs, a devious smirk was on the pale face of Sister Mary Eunice.

                "Madi, what's wrong?"  He had taken a step back as if he had been the one to send me to this state.

                "I – I don't know," I truthfully admitted.  Why did I see a portrayal of her like that?  She had always been nothing but kind.  Her smiles were always bright and cheerful.  It had to be me.  Something was wrong with me.  "Did something odd happen last night?"  All I could recall was skipping the movie night.  Did I do anything after that?

                Kit looked away for a moment.  "If I tell you, promise that you won't tell anyone?"

                "I promise."  If it was going to help me and as long as no one was going to be hurt.  It wasn't as if I haven't been keeping secrets myself, anyhow.

                "Grace and Lana tried to escape, again.  They wanted me to go with them after our talk, but I didn't want to go.  You were right.  I don't want to escape here only to be a man on the run forever.  That is not freedom."  He sat down on one of the beds.  "When I leave here, everyone will know that I am innocent.  We can have a life together… if you'd like."  He gave me a hopeful look behind long, thick lashes.

                I took a seat beside him.  "Of course.  When that happens, I'll go find another job and we can live together."

                He smiled, shyly.  "You wouldn't have to work if you don't want to."

                I kissed the corner of his lips.  "We can decide that later."  Slowly, my mind wandered over to something he had said.  "We were talking last night?  When?"

                He gave me an odd look.  "You don't remember?  We were in my…  room and then Grace and Lana came over – during the movie?"

                I knew that I must've done something after walking past the common room because I couldn't even recall going into the dormitories to bed.  "I… don't know."

                "Are you sure you're feeling okay?  You're looking pretty pale."

                "Yes.  I…  I just need to gather my thoughts," I told him.  "I think I may be missing some memories.  Something very strange is going on in this place.  I should talk to Dr. Thredson later – try to convince him of your innocence, again.  I’m really starting to hate this place, so as soon as he realises that you're not that man everyone thinks you are, we're going."

                "Be careful," he said.  "I get an odd feeling from him, too."

                "I will," I promised.  I gave him another kiss before announcing that I had better get back to work.

                Later that day, Dr. Thredson had approached me with the façade of wanting to have a casual talk, but he'd always twist the topic back to Kit and Bloody Face.  The more I spoke with him, the more I felt that he truly wanted everyone to think that Kit was the serial killer.

                "Sister Madison."  I hated how he always grabbed my upper arm like that.  "Is this really where you want to work?  You're a very beautiful young lady.  I feel that it's such a shame for you to remain here."  He took a step forward until I could feel his body heat invade me.  "I could take you away from here.  With my job, I could support the both of us.  You wouldn't need to work, again."

                I took a step back.  "Doctor – Oliver, please…  I don't know if I've misled you to believe that what we have is anything more than friendship.  I apologise if I did, but I – I don't feel that way towards you – "No, you just have a little infatuation with our resident psychopath," he growled, before seemingly regaining his cool composure.  "Forgive me.  I understand.  Please, have a good day, Sister Madison."

                I swallowed hard.  Had that really just happened?  What had gotten into him, lately?  What had gotten into all of us?

                The rest of the day passed by like a blur.  Before I knew it, my shift was over and I was getting ready to go home.

                "Madi," I heard him quietly whisper to me as I was leaving.

                I turned to see a pained look on his face.  "What is it, Kit?  Are you alright?"

                He looked down.  "I think you should stay away from me."

                "What?!"  I had not been expecting that.  Surely, I was just hearing things.  "What?  Why…?"

                "I've been talking to grace.  I think it's possible that I may have really killed all those women.  I don't remember doing it, but what if it's true?  Everyone else seems to think so."

                I huffed and pulled him out the door and into a private spot.  "Don' be stupid, Kit.  You shouldn't believe what everyone else thinks.  Give me more time and I'll be able to gather enough evidence for you."

                "But I could be Bloody Face!" he shouted back.  "What if I lose it and kill you?  I wouldn't be able to bear losing you like that, Madi."  Tears welled up in his eyes.

                "So you're just going to give up on us?" I replied in disbelief.  I pulled him into a soft kiss.  "I'm a grown woman.  Let me make my own decisions."

                "I love you, Madi," he whispered.  "More than I've ever loved anyone before."

                I smiled.  'Then let's keep pushing forward.  We can do this."

                I got home and pulled another all-nighter.  I knew that my father was getting worried, but I tried my best to reassure him.  I even volunteered to take care of Michael until morning.  That got him to leave me alone.

                Looking through the articles and notes, I felt hopeless.  Dead ends.  Nothing but deadends.  Was I going at a completely wrong angle?  "Michael, what am I missing here?" I asked my baby brother as if he could truly give me all the answers that I desired.

                "Ma – Madi!"  He clapped his hands happily.

                I sighed.  "Oh, Michael…"

                He continued to babble on as I began to write down a list of everything I knew – something more condensed.

_Bloody Face – Kit Walker?_

  * _Mechanic_
  * _Missing (dead?) wife_
  * _No signs of psychopathic tendencies_



                I frowned at the useless list of things that everyone already knew about.  " _I'm_ the one who's going to have a psychotic break at this point."

                When I got to work the next morning, Lana was missing.  No one seemed to know what happened to her.  Even Sister Judith was perplexed.  Had the reporter truly managed to escape?

                "Sister Madison, how are you?" Dr. Thredson smiled amiably at me.  He was sure in a good mood, today.   I was glad that there were no hard feelings between us.

                "I'm well, thank you.  How are you?"  I smiled back.

                "Oh, very well."

                "Good…  Good…"

                We made light talk as we walked around the courtyard.  He was in such a good mood that he didn't bother arguing with me about Kit.  At one point, my secret boyfriend had even joined our conversation.  That man became even harder to deal with than the doctor.  Whenever he even tried to bring up the possibility that he was Bloody Face, I'd cut in.  I didn't need the Dr. Thredson to think he's finally confessing.

        "Do you know where Lana went?" Kit asked, instead, when it seemed that he'd finally given up.  "Grace and I looked all over for her, but she's vanished.  He heard someone say that she's ran away."

                "Ah, yes," Dr. Thredson replied.  "Our wayward reporter somehow managed to escape."

                The doctor didn't seem particularly concerned.  Was this something he saw often?  I should probably ask Sister Mary Eunice if this happened before.

                "Kit!  Kit!"  Grace suddenly barrelled over with worry on her face.  She took one look at me before dragging Kit away by his arm.

                "Seems like you have some competition," Dr. Thredson told me with an amused twinkle in his eyes.

                I looked away.  "I don't know what you're talking about."

                He chuckled.  "No need to hide it from me.  I won't tell anyone as long as I don't feel that he's a danger to you."

                That was vague.  His condition only made me think that there was probably a chance that he would tell on me to Sister Judith.

                "Doctor…  Oliver, if Kit isn't the main suspect, what do you think the person behind Bloody Face is like?  What is your profile on him?"  I had to ask.  Maybe he'd give me an insight.

                Dr. Thredson looked thoughtfully into the distance.  "I believe he's a man who is very talented.  He can easily deceive everyone around him with his kind outer personality, but deep inside is a demon who has this rage that he can't subside. "  His eyes darkened and seemed to burn with the sunset.  "Someone had wronged him in the past and he's trying to make things right, again."

                "I see…"

                How could I find someone like that and trigger the other side of the psychopath?  Was it someone in here?  Was it someone in this town?  Had Bloody Face already fled?  I hadn't heard any news about the serial killer for a while now.

                Would I ever be able to garner enough evidence to save Kit?  I didn't want to lead him on forever and give him – us – false hope of a better future.


	7. Chapter 7

                "Father."  I was watching as he worried over patient profiles.  "What do you think about Bloody Face?"

                He groaned.  "Not this again, Madi.  If you're really worried about him, I wouldn't be upset if you quit your job."

                "That's not it.  I still think Kit is innocent," I told him.  "Say he's still hiding.  What would be a good place or persona to hide as?"

                "I really don't have the time for this – "  
                "You never do!" I protested.  " _Please_.  Just answer my question."

                His dark eyes looked tiredly at me.  "He could be a person of power – someone who could easily gain a woman's trust.  He'd be charming.  He'd be someone who could deflect the attention away from him or to someone else."

                My mind began to race and I could suddenly feel my blood run cold.  It couldn't be…

                I raced up the stairs, ignoring my father's confused look.  "Deflect attention to someone else…  Oh, my God…"

                Lana Winters was missing, presumably escaped, but what if she didn't?  What if she was lured away with the pretense of freedom?  Bloody Face could be right under our noses and it wasn't Kit.  It had to be one of the staff.

                Dr. Arden?  He was a wise, introverted man who seemed overly obsessed with Sister Mary Eunice.  Was she going to be his next victim?  What would cause him to change his target to Lana?

                No…  No, I could see the way he continued to watch Sister Mary Eunice.  He was still very much infatuated with her.  Then, what?

                What if Bloody Face was a woman?  Women can still sexually harass other women.  Sister Judith?  Did she have the time or strength to do something like that?

                I shook my head.  "No, not her.  Not at her age.  Some of those women were much taller and heavier than her.  She would never be able to subdue them.

                Who else would have somewhere to hide a living person?  The monsignor?  He was rarely around and even if he was, he didn't stay for long.  I hadn't seen him for a while, now.  That didn't explain Lana's sudden disappearance.  Perhaps he had come for a quick night visit and whisked her away?

                The last person:  Dr. Oliver Thredson.  He was in the perfect position right now.  His strong conviction against Kit was apparent.  He could easily pin everyone on him with a stroke of a pen, but why?  He had such a promising future.  Why would he risk it all to kill a few women?

                Could there be a possible connection with all of them?  They were all dark blondes and in their early to mid thirties.  Alma didn't fit any of those descriptions other than the fact that she was a woman.  Bloody Face had never crossed the racial border before.  Lana, however, fit the victim profile.

                I sighed, wishing there was an easier way to dig into everyone's backgrounds.  I'll need to head to the library one day.  I could call in sick.  Tomorrow or the day after…  I had to get to the bottom of this no matter what.

                "Madi, up!  Up!"

                I looked at the bouncing toddler who was far too energetic for his own good.  "Madi's too tired.  Madi needs sleep."

                "No!" he wailed.

                Groaning, I moved him into my lap and bounced my legs.  The cries immediately melted into giggles.  He was lucky that he ended up being so cute.

…

                The next day, I had forgotten to call in sick and ended up walking into work like a zombie.  I knew that my habit was just a little bit off, but I couldn't bring myself to care enough to fix it.

                "Are you okay?"  Kit had me in his arms as we tried to stay out of sight.  It looked as if it was going to rain soon again and the courtyard was bare.

                "Don't worry about me," I mumbled, burying my face into his shirt.  I hated that smell of cheap body soap and bleach that is used for the clothes.  "I might be on to something, though.  I found a few things that I need to look into and – "

                "I'm going to tell them."

                I froze.  "What?"

                "I'm going to confess.  Dr. Thredson is right.  If I love you, I'd let you go, so you can live your life without having to obsess over this," he told me.

                "Obsess over…?"  You think I shouldn't be working hard for a future together?  You think I should just keep over and let everyone trample over us?  Do you not think we're worth fighting for?"  Tears prickled my eyes as I struggled not to completely break down in front of him. 

                "No, but I don't think I’m right for you.  You deserve so much more than me – "

                I ripped myself away from his arms.  "You think right if that's how you're going to proceed with this.  Maybe you're not the man I think you are, after all!"

                "Madi, please – "

                " _No!_ " I shouted back, no longer caring if anyone could hear us.  "If this is what you truly want, then…  Then so be it."  I tried desperately to blink back the tears that were streaming freely down my cheeks. 

                He reached over to me, but I stepped back, shaking my head.  I couldn't do this, right now.  All the time I had toiled over this because I thought we were in the same situation.  I thought he was willing to fight for this no matter how difficult it could get.

                "I'm sor – "

                I twirled around.  My shoes clacked loudly as I stormed into the manor and tore through the halls.  I couldn't believe what I was hearing.  Was it so wrong for me to worry about him – to want us to have a future together?  Had I been the only one to see it?

                I ignored the odd and worried glances that met me while I tried not to bump into anyone.  Eventually, I found an empty bathroom and sobbed as I relived the argument over and over again in my head.  It had all happened so fast.  I was going to lose no matter what I decided to do, now.  How could he do this to me?

                _"I'm going to tell them."_

_"I'm going to confess.  Dr. Thredson – "_

My eyes widened.  _Him!_   He was the reason Kit had been having doubts.  I was going to kill him!  But not before I expose him for the fraud he was!  By the time I was done with him, everyone would know that he was Bloody Face.

                I knew that my father would never persuade his patients to confess like this.  _Never_.  Everything that doctor had done was suspicious from the start, but I was so conditioned to think well of these people who were supposedly trained to help us that I ignored it.

                " _You!_ "  I was in front of him before I knew it.  With my clenched hands, I swung at him, successfully clipping his left cheek and making him stumble back.  "What have you been feeding him?!  Better that he _confessed_?  I know why you'd just love for that to happen, Bloody Face!" I spat at him.

                He made no moves to retaliate, but I couldn't read his expression beneath the shadows that cloaked half of his form in darkness.

                "You're not a doctor!" I continued in my ire.  "You're nothing but a little boy with a mommy complex."  His lips twitched and I knew enough about tells realise what that meant.  "That's it, isn't it?  The women you murdered was a representation of your mother!"

                In blind rage, I never noticed that we were in a secluded location with thick walls.  I had practically flown down to his office to find him.  But now, as his eerily slow steps echoed in the room, my anger was quickly being overtaken with fear.

                I tried to side step his larger form to leave the room, but his hand darted out and grabbed my arm hard enough that I knew there was going to be a dark bruise of his fingers there.  "Madison, you really have no idea what you are talking about."  His voice was low and showed strong restraint.  If I hadn't been so frightened, I would've been impressed.

                "Unhand me, you fiend!" I hissed with false bravado.  It was the only thing I had left.

                "Oh, no."  He finally looked at me with his piercing coal-like eyes.  They were void of any light.  "I think you need to know the consequences of what happens when you don't listen to your daddy."

                I watched in slow motion as his hand reared back before pain exploded down the side of my face.

                "An eye for an eye," I heard before I knew no more.

…

                Kit had been pacing his cell for the better part of an hour.  His mind was entirely focused on the conversation he had with Madi.  Over and over, again.  Her voice and tears tore through him.

                It made so much sense when Dr. Thredson had been discussing it with him.  Now, he couldn't think of one good reason why he ever thought that it was a good idea.

                "Stupid!"  He tugged at his hair, shaking his head and hoping that today had been nothing but a nightmare.  He needed to wake up.  He needed her with him.  Ever since he met her, he had wanted nothing more than to wake up beside her every morning

                Tears stung his eyes at the thought of never being able to hold her again.  What had he been thinking?  How could he have been so foolish?

                He needed to apologise to her.  Nothing else could make it right again.  Even if he did, he still wasn't sure if she would ever forgive him, but he had to try.  She was right.  There was no way he was going to give up on them.  Never.  Even if it hurt the both of them, he had to be selfish this time.  Existence without her was no existence at all.

                He had to have his Madi.

                As he ran up the stairs, he ignored all the Sisters scolding him.  His mind was on one thing and one thing only.  He needed to find her. 

                His long legs carried him through the dark corridors.  He even bumped into Sister Judith who swore that she was going to rip his legs off when she caught him.  He knew that there were at least a handful of orderlies at his heel by now, but none of that mattered.

                Around and around in circles, he looked h8igh and low for her, but she was nowhere to be found.  Was she hiding from him?

                The realisation made him stop and the orderlies finally tackled him down.  Whatever they were saying, he couldn't hear a single word of it.  All he knew was that terrible sinking feeling that told him he had probably lost the only thing that mattered in this God-forsaken place.  She was the only thing that could ever matter in his dreary life.

                He was brought to Sister Judith who looked at him with disgust.  "When are you ever going to learn?  I'll have to increase the caning until it gets through your thick skull.  At this rate, you'll die here before your trials can even begin."

                The pain was undeniable, but it was only something that he could use to dull the pain that was gripping his heart.  He clenched his eyes shut and brought up the image of her in his mind.  She always tried so hard.  This was how he had repaid her.

                By the time Sister Judith was done, he was only half conscious.  He could feel two pairs of arms drag him out the office, down the stairs, and throw him into his cell.  He laid there on the cold, feeling it seep into him – numbing him.  He suddenly felt better.  This was what he deserved.  No, even this wasn't enough. 

                His mind drifted in and out of consciousness.  He thought back to the last moments he had with Madi over and over, again, and he drowned in her tears.

                "Get up!"  a voice harped at him.

                His eyes immediately snapped open and he let out a groan of pain.  What had he been doing yesterday?  His back and entire back side felt as if they were on fire.

                "Get up!"

                His bleary eyes looked up at the Sister towering over his prone form.  She didn't look happy.  He got to his feet and followed her like a robot, his mind trying desperately to fill in the void.

                It wasn't until he was sitting down beside Grace did he had done something terrible the day before.

                "What was that yesterday?" the redhead asked, looking at him with wide eyes.  If she hadn't confessed the murders of her family, he would never have believed it.  "You were screaming down the hall yelling for that Sister."

                His mind raced.  Yes, he had done that.  Then, he was promptly punished.  Why?  _Why?_   He was looking for her to tell her something.  He was going to apologise.  He had foolishly hurt her and he was going to apologise.  He was going to do everything that she'd tell him to do – anything to make her forgive him.

                Madi usually gave him his food and medication.  He could do it then.

                And so, when the trolley rolled over to their table, he turned his body and apologised… to the wrong person.

                Sister Mary Eunice gave him an amused look.  "Thank you for your apology, but I'm not sure why you feel as if you needed to do that.  Perhaps the one you're looking for is currently missing?"

                Missing…

                "What?"

                The Sister's face morphed into a feigned look of concern.  "Oh, you didn't know?"  A grin slowly appeared on her lips.  "Sister Madison never arrived to work today.  No one knows where she is."

                Kit's heart sank.  Did he cause that?  Was he the reason for her absence?  He quickly thanked the Sister and absorbed himself in his meal.  Grace shot him frequent looks, but he couldn't bring himself to talk to her.  It was as if there was a giant lump in his throat.

                What if Lana didn't run away?  Someone probably took her and whoever that is must have Sister Madison, too."  No matter how much she hated the Sister for stealing his attention, it was worse that he was barely responsive.  Grace didn't like seeing Kit like this.  "It could be Bloody Face!"

                That caught his attention.  If Blood Face had Madi…  "We have to find her!"

                Grace's eyes widened.  "We'd have to successfully run away first!  I don't want to ever see those things again. I told you what they're like!"

                He wasn't scared of them.  He just wanted to find her.

                Kit spent the rest of the day in a daze.  He couldn't get his mind off Madi.

                When he had his session with Dr. Thredson, he had half the mind to ask him for help.  The doctor could find her for him, but what if she hadn't been taken?  What if she was just avoiding him?  He didn't want to force himself on her. 

                "I'm so sorry…" he whispered into his empty cell.  His own voice resonated in his head.

                Kit didn't get any sleep that night.  He roamed around, hoping that with each turn of a corner, she was going to be there.

                "Are you really that pathetic?" he heard a voice sneer at him.

                He didn't bother turning around.  It didn't matter.

                "Oh, come on."  Sister Mary Eunice appeared in front of him with an annoyed look on her face.  "This is no fun if you're not wrecking a bit of havoc." He stared at her.  "How about this, I'll give you a little hint and you'll owe me a favour."

                He swallowed.  "What kind of hint?"  What was she talking about?  It couldn't possibly be about Madi, could it?  Why would Sister Mary Eunice know anything?

                "Something regarding your precious Madison Harmon, of course."  She rolled her eyes.  "Let's say you just agreed because I know you will.  She has been taken by someone working here – someone you trust."

                There weren't a lot of people he trusted here and even less with the ability to take her anywhere.  "Help me get her back.  I'll do anything," he begged.  "I just need her safe."

                She chuckled.  "You can figure things out yourself.  Or maybe Madison Harmon is a lot stronger than you think.  Perhaps she doesn't need you to find her."

                Why did it feel as if he had just made a deal with the devil?


	8. Chapter 8

                I felt as if someone was drilling a hole straight through my head.  I opened my eyes and quickly regret it as I was assaulted by the blindingly white room.  It looked almost like a hospital – or a basement…

                A groan left my lips when I tried to move.  Something was cutting into my wrist.

                "Sister!"

                I turned my head to see Lana looking at me with concern.  She was on a bed with her ankle chained to the post.  What was going on?

                "It's the doctor!" she hissed.

                It took me a good moment to realise what she was saying.  And then, all the memories came rushing back.  Dr. Thredson was Bloody Face!  He had taken me somewhere – presumably where he killed all his women – because I was foolish enough to confront me.  Why did I ever think it was a good idea?

                I probably hadn't been thinking at all.

                Like a stupid teenage girl dealing with her first break, up, I lashed out and paid the consequences.

                How long had it been since I've been here?  Surely, someone would be looking for me. I  went home every night and I always called first if I was late or had to stay overnight.  Father would call the police, but would they find me in time?  Would they ever find me?

                "Sister!"

                I looked at Lana.

                "What are we going to do?"

                "I don't know," I whispered.  "I don't know."

                The door opened and I watched anxiously as he walked down the stairs.  He looked as calm and collected as ever.  Who would believe me if I told them that the accused Bloody Face's psychiatrist was Bloody Face himself?

                "Lana…  Madison…"  The chilling smile on his face made me want to curl further within myself.  "I never expected to have both of you beautiful ladies in my house at the same time."  He turned to me.  "Had you not gone to me that night with so much rage on your face, I would never have bothered with taking you.  You had already rejected all my advances, making me quite disheartened.  I'm actually quite happy how everything turned out."

                I had to suppress a cry when his fingers gripped tightly to my brown locks.

                "Cry for me."

                I refused.

                "Cry for me!"

                I squeezed my eyes shut when I felt a handful of hair rip from my scalp.  The only thing that popped up in my mind was Kit.

                I almost laughed at the irony of it all.  We had the argument because he wanted to confess that he was Bloody Face.  Now, I had solid evidence that he wasn't, but the likelihood of my surviving to tell him was slim to none.

                " _Look at me!_ "

                I rolled my eyes up to look at the abyss.  He stared back with silent rage.  "Not once did you look at me.  Your eyes were always on poor Kit Walker.  It's unfortunate that he will never be able to clear his name."

                He was clearly insane.

                "They'll know everything, eventually," I told him.  "I have family looking for me.  The police will find you."

                "And how do you think they'll find _you_?"  He raised a dark eyebrow at me.  "The rest of the world still thinks that Kit Walker is Bloody Face.  You'll be part of another statistic that everyone will forget about."

                I spat at him.  "And you'll only ever be a little boy with a mommy complex."

                With a roar of rage, he pulled my head forward before slamming it against the wall behind me.

                I thought my head had exploded for a moment as everything tried to realign itself.  Dark spots covered my vision.  I could barely make out Thredson heading to Lana who shouted for him to stay back.

                I closed my eyes as he raped her, wishing that I was anywhere but here.  Most of all, I wanted to be in my room with Kit's arms around me.  He was safe.  For now, I'd settle for the apparition of him in my mind.  I'd die with him in my heart.

                The door slammed shut and I knew that it was finally over.  He was gone – for now.  Lana was quietly sobbing on the bed.  There was nothing I could do to comfort her.  Nothing about our situation was right.  We were in purgatory until Thredson decides that he wanted to be rid of us.

                After letting out a deep breath, I glanced at the curled form who was staring back at me.  Her eyes were glistening with tears.  "How' s your head," she whispered.

                I lightly touched the wet and sticky gash and tried not to think about it.  "I'm okay.  You?"

                She gave a dry laugh before heaving down the side of the bed.  "Fan-fuckin'-tastic."

                _Fan-fuckin'-tastic, indeed…_

                I didn't know how much time had passed, but eventually, he came back with a tray of food.  "Mom, I got you your favourite," he announced to his delusions.

                We stared back, hoping that he was going to set the food down and leave, but of course, no such luck.  He caressed her face and whispered inappropriate comments to her before making his way towards me.

                "Now, you.  You naughty girl…  You have to be punished."  He dropped the tray beside me with a loud clatter than echoed in the small chamber.  From his pocket, he took out a small object.  He extended the device and I realised that it was a caning stick.  "Torn over."

                I shook my head with wide eyes.

                He gave my leg a sharp whack.  The pain was instant.  The narrow stick felt as if it was cutting through my flesh, it probably was.  "Turn.  Over."

                Hesitantly, I complied.

                "Take off your pants."

                I shook my head, again, and received another whack.  If it was just a caning, I wouldn't mind as much, but I knew it would never be just that with him. 

                When I took too long pondering, he knelt beside me and pulled my habit up.  When the skirt was hiked up, he ripped the shorts from my legs and ran a warm hand down my chilled thighs.  Every hair on my body was raised with fear and anticipation.

                "Don't do this…" I whispered.  " _Please_."

                "It's too late.  You were a bad girl and now you will face the consequences of your actions."  He brought his hand down first.  The flesh to flesh contact left a loud _smack_ resonating in the basement.  He didn't wait before striking again.

                My body instinctively began to withdraw toward itself. 

                He wasn't happy.  The hits momentarily stopped as he shifted us. I was now laying across his lap, completely vulnerable and humiliated.  As he continued to strike me, I noticed something in his lap changing.  I tried not to fixate on it, but it made me even more uncomfortable as I felt it press against my abdomen. 

                When he stopped again, I thought it was finally over, but then I remembered the cane.  When it came down, I couldn't help crying out.  My flesh was already bright red and hypersensitive.  Every hit, it felt as if he was chopping me up bit by bit.

                "Shh…  Shh…  Daddy is done, now."  He rubbed my abused flesh as if he hadn't just been the one to leave those red welts on me.  "If you be a good girl, daddy wouldn't have to hurt his princess."

                I held back a shudder before nodding.  "I'll be good," I promised.  What else was I to do?  He thought we were some kind of demented family.

                I felt as if I was watching a horror movie from a third person's perspective at this point.  Nothing felt real.  This had to be some kind of nightmare and I wanted to wake up. 

                All night, he held me like a child while Lana and I share frightened glances.

                Perhaps if he fell asleep, we'd be able to overpower him.  Did he have the keys somewhere here?

                I knew that Lana was gesturing for me to check, but I couldn't be sure if he was asleep, yet.

                I waited several more minutes and made a move to start my search.  The chains around my wrist jingled before his voice made me freeze.  "If you had been a good girl from the start, we wouldn't be down here," he whispered.  "We'd be on a comfortable bed.  No need for these clunky things."  He chuckled.  "I'd have something much softer around you."

                I squeezed my eyes shut.  Fear gripped at me.  What if he didn't plan to kill us, after all?  What if we were going to be trapped here until he's tired and leaves us to rot?

                Never had I ever contemplated the aspect that there could be something worse than death.  But then again, when I took his job, I never though I was going to be held prisoner by a psychotic doctor.

                As I continued my morbid musing, his hands began to slack around me.  His breathing evened out into a steady pattern.

                "Now!" Lana hissed at me.

                Taking a deep breath, I slowly rotated my body so that I was facing him.  Even this simple task made my blood pressure spike.  With both hands bound together, I tried to pay him down as carefully as possible.  Each second that went by, I thought his eyes were going to snap open and he'd kill me with his bare hands.

                But nothing happened.  He didn't wake up, but there were also no keys.  If we killed him now, no one was ever going to find us.

                The entire night, I couldn't sleep.  He was literally all around me.  I had nowhere to escape from him. 

                "Not a peep from you," he instructed in the morning before he left.

                I said nothing, pretended to be asleep just to spare myself from saying that wrong thing.

                When he was gone, I felt Lana ready to kill me herself.  "Why didn't you get the keys?  You might not want to leave here, but I sure as hell ain't going to die in this God forsaken place.  And I thought Briarcliff was bad!"

                "I tried!  He didn't have them with him!" I told her, feeling my own irritation rise at her accusations.  "I don't see you doing anything to help the situation."

                "He fuckin' raped me!"

                "He might as well have done the same to me!  Play the victim when we get out.  Right now, we're both in the same situation here."  I knew I should've felt bad telling her to get over it.  Normally, I'd have all the sympathy in the world for rape victims – not right now.  I wasn't going to let her use it to be dead weight. 

                That night, she proved me wrong.  As Thredson decided to finally end her life, she lured him with the false pretense of accepting her role before proceedings to strangle him with the very chain that kept her prisoner.  Eventually, she grabbed a syringe that was meant for her and stabbed him with it.  Whatever was inside knocked the doctor right out.

                With enough force, she managed to break the wooden banister off the foot board of the bed.  The chains now dangled uselessly around her wrist.  "Better stop playing the victim and get yourself out."  With that said, she ran up the stairs leaving me to stare in disbelief.

                I almost laughed at what just happened.

                While she had been tired down to a frail piece of cheap wood, Thredon had my chain linked to a metal ring in the wall.

                Of course this would happen to me.  I always knew that she was a selfish woman, but I never thought she'd leave me to die with this sick bastard.

                I tugged futilely at my chain.  I heard that under extreme duress, people can do miraculous things.  Many of them also thanked God for helping them.  Maybe that was it.  A fictional character can't help me because I don't believe in them.  Was this a message telling me that I should start going down a different route?

                "Where the fuck.. is she?"

                I looked at Thredson who was slowly staggering back to his feet.

                " _WHERE IS SHE?!_ "

                "I don't know."

                He growled and knocked everything over on the bedside table.  "You…"  I could feel the rage radiating off him. 

                I swallowed hard.  I had to do something quick before he directed all his anger towards me.  "Please, d – daddy…  I've been a good girl," I pled like the child he wanted me to be, feeling the humiliation hit me all over again.  "Mommy…  she left us both."

                He stopped advancing in such a menacing manner.  Surprisingly, his eyes softened and he quickly regained his composure.

                "Of course.  Daddy apologises."  He lifted me in his arms and set me on the bed.  I didn't want to touch the sheets where he and Lana had been together.  An uncontrollable shudder went down my spine as his breath brushed against my neck.  "Mommy will pay for leaving us, again."

                That day, I was able to sleep with him holding me, knowing that the alternative would be worse. 

…

                Kit didn't know what was happening.  One moment he was giving his case to the Monsignor that Sister Madison was in trouble, the next, Lana Winters was carted in on a stretcher.  She looked worse for wear and was babbling incoherently in her unconscious state.

                He wanted nothing more than to force her to wake up and tell him if she had seen Madi.  If she did, why weren't they together?  He didn't want to play with the idea that she could be dead.  No, there had to be another explanation – anything but that.

                As the day went on, he and Grace sat by Lana's side, hoping that she'd quickly wake up and have a fast recovery. 

                "What do you think happened to her?" Grace asked.  "I heard some of them say that she was hit by a car and that's how they found her and brought her here."

                Kit didn't reply.  If that was true, then Madi wouldn't have been with her.  If that was true, Madi was still missing and no one knew where she was.

                "Look!  She's waking up!"

                He watched as Lana's eyes fluttered open.  She looked dazed, but as her eyes fell on them, there was a mixture of despair and relief.  "I'm so sorry I didn't believe you," she croaked at him.

                "What happened?" Grace quickly asked.  Her eyes were wide with curiosity.

                Lana sighed.  "Dr. Thredson offered to help me out of here, so I followed him to his home.  HE drugged me in the basement.  It was awful there.  His lamp shade…  It was human skin…"  Tears sprung out from her eyes.  "He's Bloody Face, Kit.  He was going to kill me if I hadn't gotten away."

                "Lana, did you see Madi there?"  He hated for that to be his first question, but he had to know.  It was truly driving him insane.

                Her face immediately hardened at the question and he wondered if he had offended her.  She looked him in the eyes and gave a very simple answer.  "No."

                He didn't know whether to feel relieved or not.  If Madi wasn't with Bloody Face, then that would mean she'd be… more safe, right?  Safeish?  Kind of…?

                His mind tried to wrap around the new found discovery.  Or would that be worse because he's still left wondering where she had gone?

                Next, he wondered how many times he had seen Dr. Thredson with Madi.  The doctor seemed to naturally gravitate towards her when she first started working.  Eventually, he moved on to Lana whom Kit presumed was more compliant to follow him out – with more reason to do so.  The doctor's earlier interest had him worried, though.  Was it mere coincidence that both Lana and Madi had gone missing at similar times?

                He looked at Lana who was still quietly telling Grace her story.  But she said Madi wasn't there.  How credible was she?  Would there be a reason for Lana to lie to him?

                What if Madi was dead and she wanted to spare him the heart ache?  No, she didn't know about them, or had he been too obvious?

                He'd never be able to tell anyone how guilty he felt.  The last thing they did together was argue over whether he was Bloody Face or not.  Had he just been less of a fool, she'd probably still be here with him. 

                "I'm going back to my room."

                He walked away feeling their eyes burning a hole through the back of his skull.


	9. Chapter 9

                During his next session with Dr. Thredson, he tried to act as if Lana hadn't told him anything.  Several times, he was brought to the brink of confessing to the manipulative doctor, but he kept his mouth shut.

                "Are you sure you're feeling alright?" Dr. Thredson asked him.

                He nodded, silently.

                "Good," the doctor smiled with narrowed eyes.  'Then I think that concludes our final session.  If this was taken to trial, I have no doubt that the court will find you guilty.  Instead, I'll write a report that you shall remain here until the Monsignor finds you've been… corrected."

                Kit clenched his hands around the fraying hem of his shirt.  He wasn't surprised by the verdict.  It was exactly what Bloody Face would want.

                With the public assuming the serial killer had been detained, there wouldn't be any more news on him.  That would keep Thredson out of the lime light.

                "Thank you, doctor."  He stood up to leave when the doctor clamped his hand down on his shoulder.

                "I'll trust that I won't need to come back here because of any commotion you've caused?"  Those claw-like fingers dug into his thinned-out frame.

                "Of course."

                That night, he searched for Sister Mary Eunice.  The Sister had been downstairs with Dr. Arden.  The older gentleman looked stressed out, but said nothing when he approached.

                "I assume you wish to speak about our favourite Sister?"  Her blood red lips were twisted into a malicious smirk.

                "Your hint hasn't helped me at all!" Kit grumbled.  "So Thredson is Bloody Face.  He's taken Madi, hasn't he?  How am I supposed to help her, then?"

                Sister Mary Eunice gave him an unimpressed look.  "Use that little brain of yours."

                He stood there thinking for a while before realisation hit him and it hit him hard.  "You want me to make another deal."

                She clapped.  "Very good.  Now, I have the ability to help you out.  IN return, you belong to me."

                His eyes widened.  She didn't beat around the bush at all, this time.  "How…?  As a slave?  Do you want a servant?"

                "No.  No.  Nothing so barbaric."  She waved her hand dismissively at him.  'What I want is your soul.  I want that passion that you have and I want that passion that she has for you."

                "She's not part of the deal!" Kit quickly cut in.  He'd do anything as long as Madi wasn't caught in the crossfire."

                "I never said she was, but if she ever happened to just… want to join you, I wouldn't be opposed to it."

                He growled, already hating the direction this conversation was going.  "Sister Mary Eunice, I want Madi safe and if what you're proposing will put her in danger, I'm not doing it."

                "Why don't I give you a taste of what I can do free of charge?" she suggested, the twinkle in her eyes was less than benevolent.  "If you use your new found powers a second time, that is when I'll seal our contract.  Deal?"

                A free trial…

                "Deal."

                He didn't know exactly what she had bestowed upon him, but when he fell asleep that night, he felt as if he was flying.  Everything seemed so real.  He had never had a dream like this before.  Was it a dream, at all?

                He wandered the halls like an apparition and even walked through the walls dividing each room.  This had to be the power Mary Eunice was talking about.  He could leave this place and find Madi himself!  But first, he needed to know where Dr. Thredson resides.  Surely, this place would have records of it.

                His first destination was Sister Judith's office.  _Everything_ was there.  He walked past the drawer of canes and headed to the ones by the desk.  There were hundreds of folders there.

                Leafing through each one, he only found the ones on each patient.  He was tempted to see what they wrote down for him, but there was no time for that now.  Madi was number one priority. 

                Eventually, he hit the jackpot.  In a locked drawer was every profile on the staffs – old and new.

                He pulled up Dr. Thredson's folder and quickly jotted down the address before tucking it into the pocket of his pants.  If he could do everything in one go, he wouldn't even have to pay his end of the deal!  "Got you!" he whispered in triumph before his entire world seem to waver.

                A sinking feeling filled him as he felt himself being dragged back to consciousness.  "No!  No!  No!" he shouted, trying to will himself to stay in his current state.

                Suddenly, his eyes snapped open and he could hear Grace shouting at him from just outside his door.  He wanted to ignore her and go back to sleep.  He wanted to throw something in anger.  He couldn’t' believe that that had happened.  He was so close!

 

                "Kit!"

                Instead of projecting his ire, he calmly stood up and opened the door.  It was morning.  He thrust his hand into his pocket and felt the piece of paper he was looking for.  What use was it now when he was stuck here, again?

                "Lana seems to be doing much better, today," Grace beamed.

                Kit didn't come.  He had a plan.  He was going to eat his breakfast and go right back to his room.  Today was the day he was going to find her.  He had already decided that he'd do anything for her that night.  His soul didn't matter if Madi wasn't with him.

                "I see you're still here," Sister Mary Eunice mused as she set down the trays.  "Since the doctor is no longer working here.  Perhaps you should be a little worried how much time poor Madi is spending with him."  Without waiting for a response, she sauntered off, leaving him with the traumatic images of the horrors that could be done to her.

                "What is she talking about?"  Grace stared after the Sister.  "She's been acting really weird, lately.  Maybe she's finally tired of Sister Judith bossing her around, but I haven't seen that bossy woman in a while, now.  I wouldn't mind if she had an accident and died."

                Kit picked at his food, palmed his medication, and gave Grace a quick excuse that he was tired before quickly scurrying off.

                The cells were quiet.  Most of them were still eating or at the common room.

                He shut his door and laid down, staring at the stone grey ceiling.  There were cracks and cobwebs everywhere.  "Come on, go to sleep.  You need to find her.  Madi's waiting for you."  He tried to force himself to sleep, but it was difficult.  The anxiety in him left a heavy feeling in his stomach.

                Hours seemed to go by as he tossed and turned before he was given mercy.  His eyelids became heavy and he felt his body begin to fall asleep.  His mind, however, was still on overdrive.

                He thought of many things.  Most of them consisted of Madi in different states of distress.

                As he continued to think and fear, he suddenly felt himself standing instead of laying down.  He had done it!  His hand went through the door. 

                He checked that the piece of paper was still in his pocket before making his way out.

                It didn't quite feel real until he stepped out of the gates of Briarcliff Manor.  He couldn't feel the fresh air around him, but just getting away from the dreary setting was enough to get his adrenaline going.  This was it.  He was free to roam and the first thing he needed to do was find her.

                He walked down the streets and paused at every intersection, wondering if he was going the right way.  He wasn't too familiar with this part of town.  Each step could be a step away from her.

                When he finally found the right street, however, his hope soared.  She was so close!

                He ran down the pavement, counting down the house numbers until he hit it.  Dr. Thredson's home.  As expected, it was a nice abode at the better side of town.  There was a luscious, well-kept lawn and even a line of flowers by the house.  He sure was good at keeping the good guy image.  It was no wonder that he was able to lure all those women to follow him.

He crept up the front door and phased in.  Even though he knew that no one could see him – most likely, he tip-toed around, looking for where Madi could be.

                He still wasn't sure if she was actually there.  On one hand, Lana denied that she was there;  on the other hand, Sister Mary Eunice was implying that she was here.  He trusted Lana more than the cryptic Sister, but the writer had been acting strangely since she came back.  Whenever Madi was brought up, there was utter disdain in her eyes.  That wasn't there before she was taken.  Something must've happened while she was down in that basement.

                Kit looked through every door until he turned the stairs that led downward.  The basement was a dreary place that reminded him of his own cell.

                When he reached the last step, he was immediately disgusted by what he found.  Most of the décor were made from human body parts.  Ho w the doctor remained so normal at work, he would never know.

                Kit stepped past a tall metal storage unit and froze.

 

…

                "Shh… Shh…" he whispered into my ear, his hand caressing the side of my thigh.  I whimpered and tried to cringe away, but his fingers dug into my flesh until I knew there were going to be dark imprints of them to remind me of what he was doing.  "Daddy will treat you well."

                Since Lana escaped, Thredson seemed to have pulled back from going to work and most forms of hygiene seemed to have become foreign to him.  His face was unshaven and scraped painfully against my skin, but thankfully, he still had the decency to brush his teeth.  If only I was given the same luxury.

                The only thing I was grateful for was the fact that he still hadn't gone the whole way, yet.  Was it because of Lana?  Perhaps she had left him feeling impotent.  I hoped that that was the case, but when I felt his fingers run down my underwear, panic seized me. 

                I tried to twist away from him, but he only held on tighter.  "Not yet.  Daddy needs his innocent girl."

                I choked back a sob and clenched my eyes shut.  He was absolutely insane!

                Even though he never penetrated me, I felt dirty all over.  His hands had been everywhere.  He was always all around me – never allowing me to forget where I was or who I belonged to. 

                _I was nothing_.

                Finally, he had had enough and slipped away with the promise of food before disappearing up the stairs.

                I curled the blanket around me, no longer caring that it was soiled.  I just needed the extra layer to help me feel safer.  It was another barrier that he had to go through to get to me – not as if it helped a lot, but it was something that eased my mind just a little.

                When I heard the front door open and the sound of his car starting up, I figured that he must've gone out to get groceries.  The one thing I couldn't complain about was how he fed me.  Since his "mom" disappeared, I was spoiled with food – no more bread and water.  I wondered if he actually thought that we were some kind of sick family and everything was normal.

I tugged sadly at the chains.  If only Lana hadn't broken the bed post.  Maybe he would've moved my confinements there instead.

                "Kit…" I whispered into the darkness.  The loneliness was consuming me.  How much longer was I going to be here before I completely lose it?  How much longer before I was going to die here, where no one would ever find me?

                Did he miss me?  I knew that Grace definitely had feelings for him.  What if he thought I had run away after our argument and moved on? 

                _Bang!_

                I jumped and stared into the abyss.  Was he back already?

                The room was suddenly flooded with light, but I remained the only occupant.  This was it.  This was my breaking point.  It was bound to happen, but I didn't think it'd be so quick.

                _Bang!_

I jumped, again.  "Stop it!" I yelled at the empty room.  " _Please_ , just stop it…"

                The bed suddenly dipped down and I could only watch in horror as what appeared to be an invisible person move towards me.

                "No, stay away!"  My hands shook, rattling the chains as I tried desperately to move away.  This couldn't be happening to me.

                I scooted back just a little more when the indented spot followed me and I abruptly felt my entire body tip over.  My head collided with the hard concrete and white stars burst in front of me.

                Instead of righting myself, I remained laying there with my legs still half on the bed.  What was I even doing?

                I was moving away from a fictional apparition that's in my head.  Maybe Thredson would put me out of my misery when he realises that I'm crazier than he was.

                That would be a blessing in disguise.  I couldn't imagine living like this much longer.  It needed to end.  It's going to happen soon either way.  Why not do it on my own terms?  I'd leave a nice surprise for the good doctor.   I'd take the satisfaction away from him.

                I looked around for anything sharp, but found none.  Thredson was extra careful with where he left his equipment after what happened.  I'd just have to improvise.  It couldn't be that hard.

                Most of the things within reach were made of metal or stone.  It wasn't anything I could break off, but that end board at the foot of the bed, it was sharp enough. I just needed to break a bit off.

                I got on my knees and crawled over to it.  It'd have to do.  I didn't know how much more time I had before he came back.

                Digging my fingers into the cracked wood, I tugged until a sizeable chunk came off.  One of the ends were sharp and jagged.  The splinters buried in my hands were barely noticeable as I shakily held it to my wrist.  I could do this.  How hard could it be?  People did it all the time.

…

                Kit hadn't meant to frighten her.  That was the last thing he'd want.  His eyes were just so completely fixated on her that he hadn't noticed the table and his knee slammed into it with a resounding _bang_!  He didn't know he could feel pain as he was, but it was definitely there.  He really had to control what was corporeal and what wasn't!

               When he saw that Madi was staring at his direction with a startled look, he brought his fist down on the table, again.

                _Bang!_

                "Madi, can you hear me?!" he shouted, but nothing registered on her face other than fear.  "Madi!"

                Instead of the desired effect as he tried to make himself known, she was pulling the covers to her chin.

                He tried another method as he quietly made his way to the bed and sat down.  Would he be able to touch her –

                "No, stay away!" she suddenly cried out.

                He immediately froze.  This wasn't the reaction he was hoping to get, either.  "Come on, Madi.  It's me."  Even though she was perfectly reasonable to freak out, it still hurt to see her recoil from him.  Their last conversation resurfaced in his mind.  He had done this.  He felt as if he had somehow failed her.

                She continued to scoot back away from him until he watched in slow motion as she tipped over and fell off the side of the bed.

                He quickly peeked down to see her not even making an attempt to get back up.  Was she hurt?  Had he hurt her?!

                Pushing his worry aside, he bolted upstairs as another idea came to him.  He retired a notepad and pen before grabbing the fire poker that was sitting by the fireplace.  He had to get her out somehow.  This madman wasn't going to get the better of them.

                He ran back down, scribbling down his message for her as he did so.

                _Madi, it's me!_

                She stared blankly at the floating paper.  It took him a moment to realise that he hadn't exactly specified who he was.

                _It's Kit!  I'm here!_

Disbelief filled her face before she shook her head.  "A notebook is floating in front of me.  I'm definitely imagining things.  Kit isn't here.  No one knows you're here.  No one can save you, stupid."

                He looked at her, sadly.  Was this what she had been thinking for the past two weeks?

                Without even thinking, he lunged forward and pulled her into a deep kiss.  Her bound hands flailed around and struck him in the chest a few times, but he refused to let go.  "I love you.  I love you.  I love you," he breathed against her lips.

                Her body finally relaxed against him and she sighed into the kiss.  "Kit…  Are you really here?"

                He took the palm of her hand and wrote with his finger, " _Yes."_

                Tears welled up in her eyes as she tried to press herself even closer to him.  "I love you, Kit.  I don't even care if you're not real anymore."

                He shifted and wrapped his arms around her.  They sat there in comforting silence until he gently pried himself away.  He had wasted enough time bumbling around like a fool.  It was time to get her out of here.

                "Kit?"  She looked like a lost child as she tried to grab a hold of him, again.

                "I'll be back," he said, even though he knew that she wouldn't be able to hear him.

                He took the poker and slipped it into the metal ring, then, he pulled.


	10. Chapter 10

                I watched as a fire poker slid into the metal loop that kept me chained to the wall.  There didn't seem to be any movement at first until the poker began to bend to an invisible force.  Soon, small cracks formed on the concrete.  In slow motion, the loop completely flew out and I was free.

                It didn't matter that my wrists were still bound together.  I could finally get away from here!

                I felt someone take my hand and lead me up the stairs.  My shaky legs were supported by the lean, invisible form. 

                As we made our way to the front door, headlights burned through the curtains.  Fear immediately seized me.  If Thredson found me here, I was dead!  Now that I had an actual chance of escaping, I didn't want to die here!

                Kit tugged me the opposite direction and we raced down the hall, through the kitchen, and out the back door.  We didn't stop until the house was long behind us.  He started to lead me to the Manor, but I shook my head.

                "My house.  I want to go home," I told him.  Father was probably worried sick.  I needed him to know that I was alright.

                I ignored all the weird stares I received as I quickly made my way home.  A part of me was nervous about taking Kit there.  I still wasn't sure if he was real, but what else could explain it?  _Someone_ helped me out of that basement.  It just _had_ to be him.

                "Here."  I led him to the front door and banged on it.  The heavy chains rattled as I did so.

                A minute later, I saw Ben with his dark messy hair, looking as if he hadn't slept in days.  "Madi?"  He gaped in disbelief.  "Are you really here?"

                "Dad!" I cried, flying into his arms.

                He immediately wrapped his arms around me.  "What happened?  Where have you been?"  He pulled me in and quickly locked the door behind me.  I hoped that Kit had gotten in on time.  I didn't want to take him all the way here only to lock him out.

                "It's Dr. Thredson at Briarcliff!" I blurted out.  "He took me to his basement.  _He's_  Bloody Face!"  I shook the chains around my wrists in emphasis.

                Ben stared at me as if I had completely lost it.  Maybe I did, but I knew who kidnapped me.  "Madi, are you sure?  I don't want this to be about your obsession – "

                "It's not and I'm _not_ obsessed!" I shouted, tired of everyone thinking that.  "I know exactly who kidnapped me!  There was another woman – Lana Winters."  Had she gotten away?  Why hadn't the police raided the house if she did?  "He…  He raped her, but she managed to run away.  I don’t' know what happened to her after.  _Please_ , you have to believe me.  How do you think I managed to chain myself?"

                He looked down at my hands and sighed.  "Madi…  I'll call the police.  At the very least, I need to tell them that you're back and safe."

                I didn't know how he still didn't seem to believe me.  Did he think I was crazy enough to chain myself just to prove Kit's innocence?  "Who do you think put these chains on me?  I didn't kidnap myself in some messed up attempt to free Kit!  Would it have been better if I let myself rot in that basement?!"

                Ben slammed the phone back down in frustration.  "Of course not!  But Bloody Face has been caught!"

                "Bloody Face is caught because everyone _wants_ him to be caught!  Someone like you should know that not everything is as it seems!"  I was on the verge of pulling all my hair out.  "Never mind.  It doesn't matter.  If my own father won't believe me, I know no one else will.  You don't even have to bother telling the police that I'm back.  Consider me _dead_!"

                I stormed into my room and slammed the door behind me.  From the corner of my eyes, I had seen Violet peek out from her own room, but I couldn't deal with anything anymore.  When the chains clacked against the wood, I was reminded that I still couldn't get the stupid things off.

                "Madi!  Madi!"

                I looked up to see Michael bouncing happily on my bed.  When did he get there?

                "Up!"  He flung his arms up.

                I stared at him for a moment before bursting into tears.  Seeing me like this, his own face screwed into a frown before he, too, began to wail.  I made my way to the bed and collapsed beside him.  He immediately scooted over and curled against me.  "Once I get enough money to support the both of us, we're going to be out of here."

                He hiccoughed in agreement.

                Feelings lightly better at the moral support, I wiped my tears away and sighed.

                _Get yourself together!_   I berated myself before the door opened and I jumped at the looming figure standing at the door.  From head to toe was jet black rubber.

                "W-who…?"  I watched the form move in amazement, recognising each motion.  "Kit?"

                He nodded and plopped himself down on the bed after closing the door.  The paper pad was still in his hands. 

                _Only way for you to see me_ , it read.

                "I tried not to let how creepy he was show on my face.  This was definitely not an outfit I wanted him to keep.  "Where did you even find that?  Couldn't you have just gotten some normal clothes?"

                _In the attic_.

                I stared.  " _Our_ attic?!"

                He nodded.  _Normal clothes wouldn't cover the head.  I'd look even scarier._

                That was true.  This weird suit would have to do for now.  I wonder how it came to be there…  Actually, I hope I never find out.  "Is it at least clean?"

                He shrugged.

                Suddenly, I burst out laughing and pulled him down next to me.  His smooth rubber-covered body felt nice.  "Love you, Kit," I whispered.  "Thank you for saving me from him.  I thought I was going to die there."

                He gave my neck a soft kiss.  _I'm sorry._

"It's okay," I told him.  It truly was.  After everything that happened.  The argument became something trivial.  "At least we both know that you're not Bloody Face, now."

                He tightened his arms around me, but froze when Michael began to wiggle around and tried to bite his arm.

                "Madi!  Mine!  Mind!  Madiiii!" he cried.

                I smiled, tugged Kit's arms away briefly to include the toddler into the hug.  He was immediately pacified even as Kit wrapped his arms back around us.

                "So how did you end up like this?" I suddenly asked.  With all the weird things happening, I never had the chance to question his current state.

                _Mary Eunice made met his way.  My body is still asleep at the hospital._

Mary Eunice?  When did she have the power to do something like this?  Was it after –

                A bursting pain hit me and I couldn't think any longer.

                Kit began to silently fret over me, but I reassured him that I was alright.  "H-has Mary Eunice done something to me?" I whispered, a creeping fear overtaking me as realisation start to sink in.

                He didn't know.  Of course, he wouldn't.  Despite what happened after the encounter with Thredson, should I bother to confront her or would it be better left alone?  With my track record, I should most likely leave well alone be.  I didn't need to go through all of this, again.

                With a sigh, I turned away from my slumbering brother and in buried my face into Kit's chest.  It was odd seeing him this way.  I still didn't want to know why this was anywhere near the house.

                I ran my hand down his chest.  It did fit him very well, though.  Was he wearing any clothes beneath the suit?  I could feel all the lean muscle flex under my hand.

                He endured it for only a moment longer before seizing my hand and pulling me into a heated kiss.  Even without words, I knew exactly what he wanted, but not like this – not with my baby brother literally pressed against my back, but it would become reality one day.  "I love you so much."  I snuggled closer against him.

                I didn't need to hear him say the words back.  I already knew how he felt about me.  Even if I could never hear him, again, I was okay with that.

                We stayed like this the entire day, even as Michael began to fuss.  At one point, Kit had someone managed to get the manacles off me.  Kit ended up shedding the suit to sneak food up for us.  I couldn't stop imaging him completely nude wandering around the house.  It sent a rush of heat pooling between my legs.

                He settled back on the bed with the suit on, but without the head piece.  He was right.  It was very odd and unsettling.  When he was done eating, I was relieved to see him put it back on.

                "I don’t' think I could ever go back there," I told him.  "He could be lurking around in the dark manor, but I don't want to leave you there, either.  We need to find a way to expose him for what he is."

                _Don't come back.  I'll visit you like this._   His hand ran up and down my arm in a comforting manner.

                My eyes softened.  "You can't be comfortable in that suit and you said he's already done with you.  Why would he really come back?"  Other than to finish me off.

                _I don't want anything to happen to you_.

                "I'll be careful.  I just need to explain why I've been away."  Would Sister Judith and the Monsignor believe my story or would they think I'd be more suited as a patient there?  "It'll be alright.  When have I ever been wrong?"  Other than all my recent decisions.

                He shook his head and I could just imagine him sighing.

                "I'll see you and your body tomorrow, okay?"  As soon as the words left my lips, I flushed.  That sounded odd – dirty.  He made me this way.  I always felt my mind go to places it really shouldn't whenever he was involved.

                He moved his hands down the side of my body and stopped atop of my thigh.  I could see and feel his need pressed against me.  A sudden fear gripped me and I bit back a whimper.

                He felt me twitch away and immediately let me go and practically jumped away. 

                "No, don't go," I whispered, my voice cracking.  "It's not you.  I'm just…  He…"  Why now?  There was nothing more that I wanted than to be as close as I could to Kit, so why was I seeing _that_ face now?  "I-I just need a bit of time to get over what happened…"

                Kit seemed to relax at my words and cautiously scooted back towards me.  I sighed in relief as we resumed our position, but we tried hard not to cross the line.

                We pulled ourselves under the covers after I tucked Michael into his crib.  It was nothing naughty.  We just laid beside each other with our hands entwined.  For now, it was enough.

 

…

  
                Morning came too soon.  When I woke up, Kit was already gone.  All that was left was the rubber suit.

                I quickly bade Michael goodbye after setting him in his chair at the kitchen and left without saying a word to Ben.  I no longer cared what he thought.  His words had no meaning to me.

                I was also surprised that he hadn't called the police yesterday.  Maybe he truly though I was making it all up and didn't want me to disgrace the family.  I contemplated doing it now, but perhaps I should speak with the Monsignor first to gauge my situation.

                The trek to the manor was too long and too short at the same time.  I was still exhausted from yesterday, but I needed more time to think about what I should tell them.  I guess it wouldn't be a terrible loss if they kicked me out.  I just needed to find another way to help Kit.

                The tall looming building of Briarcliff never felt more intimidating than now.  I strolled in as casually as I could, ignoring all the stares from the other Sisters.  I headed straight to Sister Judith's office only to find that it was no longer hers.  The room was empty, but an orderly was kind enough to point me to the Monsignor's office.

                When I walked in, the Monsignor was there looking as if he was going to implode from stress.

                "You," he said as he spotted me.  "You're the missing Sister – Madison Harmon.  Where on Earth have you been?  If you don't give me a viable explanation, there will no longer be a place for you here."

                As I stood in front of him, all the excuses I had flew out the window.  I felt like a young school child, again.  The words escaped my lips before I could reign them back in.  By the end of the story, I was a blubbering mess.

                Perhaps I hadn't given him enough credit because he was a lot more patient than Sister Judith.  He took my story in strides, questioning me whenever he wanted more clarification.  I wished that my father was like that.  It'd make my life a lot easier.

                "You're telling me that Kit Walker's _psychiatrist_ is Bloody Face?  That is preposterous, but I can't say that I haven't seen odder things in my life time.  For now, I will give you the benefit of the doubt.  Dr. Thredson has already finished the report, so there shouldn't be any reason he'd return in the near future," he sighed.  "I can't, however, free Kit Walker without any solid evidence.  Until then, your situation here will resume as if you've never left."  He leaned back, rubbing the bridge of his nose.  "Don't give me any reason to regret my decision and if you haven't done so already, inform the authorities of what had transpired.  They can probably help you more than I can."

                I thanked him and couldn't believe that I was actually happy about coming back here.  He even allowed me to make the phone call before starting my shift. 

                Talking to the police was difficult, even more so than I could've ever imagine.  Officer Smith didn't believe me at first and he was still incredulous after my story, but he eventually agreed to talk to me at the station.  We managed to compromise on a date and time before I hung up the phone with a sigh of relief.  Today had gone so much better than I thought it would.

                When I walked into the common room, my eyes immediately found him are his usual spot with Grace and the writer.  So she _had_ gotten back.  Why she decided to come to Briarcliff was a mystery to me.  She could've been anywhere by now.  Maybe karma was catching up to her.  Whatever the case was, I was reluctant to approach them as they were.

                Noticing this, Kit made his way to me instead, a wide smile on his face.  "I'm glad to see you, again, Madi," he whispered, careful not to be overheard.  "When I woke up, I was afraid that it had all been a dream."

                I smiled back.  "I'm really here, Kit, and I don't plan to go anywhere, not without you."

                "It's Madi!  Madi, Madi bo Badi Bonana fanna fo Fai.  Fee fy mo Madi Madi!"  I jolted in shock before I stared at the familiar form dancing drunkenly towards me.

                It couldn't be…

                "Sister Judith!?"

                What had gone on since I was gone?  Why was she here like this dressed like a patient and behaving like she had completely lost her mind?!

                "Something happened to her and now she's like that," he told me, watching Judith with sympathy that only he could give to someone who had treated him so poorly.  "I think she broke after going through one of her own cruel administrations."

                I shook my own head in sympathy.  "What else happened?"

                He shrugged.  "Sister Mary Eunice seems to have taken her place.  She's nothing like Sister Judith, but…  You know…"  Yes, the dark magic that she suddenly seemed to possess.  "Even Dr. Arden is disturbed by her behaviour.  Lana came back after an accident.  I confronted her about her lie."

                "Lie?"  What did he mean?

                His eyes darkened.  "She told me that she hadn't seen you at Thredson's place, but I had to check.  It was my only lead.  I had to find you, Madi."  I could see his eyes sparkle with unshed tears and I wanted nothing more than to pull him close.

                "I'm glad you did."  I gently grazed our hands, hoping no one would notice, as my hatred for her grew.  She was truly a despicable woman.

                Before we could get any further into the conversation, Sister Mary Eunice had skipped in with a smile and wrapped her arms around me.  "I'm glad you're back, Sister Madison."

                "T-thank you," I stuttered, still wary about what she was up to.

                She laughed.  "Come!  We have so much to catch up on!"

                With that, she dragged me away before any of us could even protest.

                I really didn't want to be alone with her.

…

                Kit watched as she was pulled away from him too soon.  If they weren't in a forbidden relationship, he would never have let anyone take her.  As it was, he could only stare at their disappearing forms, hoping that Sister Mary Eunice wasn't going to hurt her.

                "What was that about, Kit?" Grace asked him when he sat back down beside her.  "I thought she was missing.  Did she just take a break without telling anyone?  That's pretty irresponsible."

                He shook his head.  "I…  No, the police found her."  He couldn't tell him how he had been the one to save her.  There was no way to make the tale believable.  He was still reeling from what happened, himself.  "She was at Thredson's basement."

                Grace's eyes grew even wider and she turned to Lana.  "You said you didn't see her there!"

                "She…  She must've been kept somewhere else," Lana mumbled, hating the fact that she had been caught in the lie.  It was one thing when Kit pulled her aside, but for Grace to also know about it…

                Kit decided not to pursue the issue, but it didn't mean that he was going to trust her for anything.  Right from the start, she had rubbed him the wrong way.  If it wasn't for the fact that she had been kind to Grace, he would never have tried to maintain this amiable relationship with her.

                As the day drew to an end, he knew he hadn't been as good hiding his emotions as he would've liked.  Lana sat as far from him as she could, but even she couldn't accuse him of being Bloody Face anymore.

                "Kit, can I talk to you?" Lana asked before walking to a private corner.  "Look, I don't want this to hang over us.  I didn't know that she was down there, so you can't really bl – "

                "Stop lying!" he hissed.  "You told us about the basement.  Unless he had a second one, there was no way you wouldn't have known she was there!  I don't even care that you didn't help her.  Why did you have to lie about it, too?"

                Lana's eyes narrowed.  "Why should I help her if she never helped me?  She's fine now, isn't she?"

                He clenched and unclenched his hands.  His parents taught him never to hit a lady.  "I don't know why you dragged me here, but if this is your attempt to make things right between us, forget it."  With that, he walked away.


	11. Chapter 11

                Despite what happened, I fell back into a comfortable routine.  The police had taken my statement into consideration, but I didn't have much hope that they'd do anything about it.  Dr. Thredson had a decent reputation and I knew that investigating him would be hard. 

                Knowing this, every dark room made me nervous, so I tended to avoid them.  I spent most of my time keeping busy.  There were also more nights that I spent at the asylum than at home.  I no longer felt comfortable there.  I did feel bad about leaving Michael with Ben who seemed to want nothing to do with him and Violet who had a proper social life, now.  If only I had a place to shelter him.  I didn't want to miss any of his milestones.  He was growing up so quickly.

                As I continued to ponder, my eyes darted to Sister Judith, or what appeared to be her.  This was not the no-nonsense dictator that I came to know.  This was a frail woman who seemed to have lost her mind.  What did they do to her and why?  Was it the Monsignor?  Could that be why he was situated in her office, now?  Or was it something else entirely?

                "It's fascinating, isn't it?"  Sister Mary Eunice took a seat beside me.

                I tilted my head.  "What do you mean?"

                "The human mind.  It bends and breaks so easily."

                What was she talking about?  "Are you okay, Sister Mary Eunice?"  She was definitely not herself.  I felt a tug at my mind as I tried to rationalise her behaviour.  The pain was immediate, so I let the thought slip away.

                "I'm perfectly alright.  You don't look too well, though," she told me.  "Perhaps I could help you up to the dormitories?"

                "No!" I quickly protested before quieting down.  "No, it's fine.  I'm alright."

                "The ordeal must've been so terrible for you."  She placed her hand on my knee causing me to jump.  "I’m glad you're back, but Thredson wouldn't have been able to keep you for long.  He's quite out of his depth in the matter."  Her beautiful face twisted into a sneer.  "You would never belong to him."

                I swallowed hard.  The tightening of her slaw-like grip was becoming painful.  "I don't belong to anyone," I reassured her.

                She smirked at me.  "Of course not."  There was something oddly sinister and condescending behind her words.

                I spotted Kit and tried to quickly excuse myself.  Before I could leave, her parting words made my blood run cold.  "I can't say the same for our dear Kit Walker, though."

                What had he done now?

                I scurried off to him and pulled him into a secluded location where no one could eavesdrop on us.  "What have you done?" I hissed, hoping that this wasn't as bad as his current predicament.  How much worse could it really get for him?

                He blinked at me in confusion.  "What do you mean?"

                "Sister Mary Eunice!" I exclaimed.  "She implied that you belong to someone now?"  If this was another woman, I was going to completely lose it.  I didn't need to deal with my heart shattering into a million pieces, right now.

                "I… well…  it's complicated," he mumbled with his eyes downcast.

                "Complicated?!"  Tears were already pricking my eyes.  "What do you mean complicated?  If there's someone else, just break up with me now and stop leading me on."

                Immediately, his eyes snapped back up to look at me.  Panic was on his face.  "What?!  No!  There's no one else.  There's only you, Madi.  Always."  He pulled me against him.  "There won't' ever be another.  What she meant is… Well…  You know how I was able to do all that to save you?  Sister Mary Eunice helped me.  If it wasn't for her, I would be helplessly trapped here."

                "I don't understand."

                "Neither do I," he sighed.  "But Sister Mary Eunice had some weird power.  It… didn't come free, though.  She wanted something in return."

                "What is it?"  She wouldn't have taken anything too drastic from him, right?  She was such a kind soul – most of the time.  What would she possibly ask for?

                He mumbled something incoherent.

                "Pardon?"

                "My soul," he whispered, just a little louder.  "She wanted my soul."

                My heart stopped.  Surely, it was a joke.  "What do you mean she wanted your soul?  You didn't agree to that, did you?"  He couldn't have.  That would be too much.  I wasn't worth his soul!

                "Of course, I did!"  He looked straight into my eyes.  "You're worth everything that I could give,.  Without you, I'm nothing."

                "No…"  I shook my head in denial.  What did that mean?  Why would she ask for that?  I knew she had been odd lately, but did she actually think that she could possibly own his soul?  "What's going to happen, now..?" I asked no one in particular because neither of us knew the answer to that. 

                Suddenly, our future didn't feel so bright anymore.  Not only did we have to clear up his name, we also had to deal with the possibility that he had just sold his soul.  I couldn't even begin to fathom how we could get out of this in one piece.

                He kissed me softly.  "If I had the chance to do it again to save you, I would a million times over."

                Tears pricked my eyes.  I didn't want him to feel that way.  Didn't he know how dear he was to me?  "We'll fix this," I told him.  We had to.

…

                I went home that night with the intention of moving to the manor.  Ben was in his office doing whatever he did for work.  Michael was wailing in his baby cot.  I couldn't do this anymore.  I couldn't subject little Michael to this neglect.  If the Monsignor vehemently forbade me to bring him along, I'd have to find another way for him to be cared for while I worked.

                I stayed in my room for the night with Michael beside me.  I was already doubting myself.  Could I really take him away from his father?  It really wasn't fair for him to choose between his father and his sister.  Not only that, this was _my_ home for as long as I could remember.  Memories of mother may be locked up in one room, but it was as if I could still feel her with me.

                What would she have done in my situation?  As I thought this, I could practically hear her voice telling me to forgive him.  Violet always viewed her as weak, but I think she just loved too deeply to let anyone go.

                The doctors had advised her to abort the baby during her pregnancy.  She didn't even consider it an option.  By then, she was already completely in love with the parasite growing inside her.  This was the reason why father didn't like spending time with his son.  Even though he had never vocalised it, I knew he blamed Michael for his wife's early death.  I didn't see how treating the very child she gave her life to with such disdain would do her memory any justice.

                Then again, when father first brought Michael home and told us the news of mother's death, I, too, couldn't help feeling hate for the brother I didn't know yet.  What right did that tiny thing have to steal my mother away from me? 

                Of course, I couldn't hold a grudge against him.  He was so cute and he seemed to possess the same ability to love as our beloved mother.

                "Madi!  Madi!"  He blinked at me when I tucked him against me.  It was decision time.  For better or for worse, we were going to have to live with this decision until Michael can decide for himself.

                When I walked downstairs, I saw Violet watching me, waiting for me to do something.  I contemplated talking to Ben who sat eating his breakfast, completely ignoring me, but I chickened out. 

                "Vi…"  She walked over to me, biting her lips.  "I know you're still young…"

                Violet rolled her eyes.  "I'm really not and I know what you want me to do.  It's fine.  I can take care of Michael when you're gone."

                I opened my mouth, but she interrupted me, again.

                "I won't smoke with him in the room.  I'll feed him, change his diapers, do whatever I see you do.  I know I was messed up before, but I can do this.  He's my brother, too, and you're not his mom.  You don't have to do it all by yourself."  Her words made tears stream down my eyes.  "Stop crying, you're acting like mom, now!"  With that, she stomped up the stairs and I could hear her greeting Michael.

                During my time working, I never realised how much she'd grown.  I had still thought of her as the problem child, but I evidently didn't give her enough credit.  She worked hard and managed to dig herself out of the deep hole she had stepped into.

                As I walked out the door, I saw Ben glance over to me, but no words were exchanged.

                When I arrived at Briarcliff, I felt much lighter than I ever did.  For that short moment, I was able to forget about everything and do what I had to.

                I smiled at all the other Sisters, ignoring their confused stares and went on my way.  True, I was still a little worried about Michael, but I knew that Violet wouldn't let me down. 

                As I went on with my duty, Sister Mary Eunice walked up behind me.  I immediately jumped and took several steps back.  She merely laughed at my actions.  "What are you so afraid of?  I would never hurt you."

                I shook my head.  "What have you done to me?  Every time I feel like I've figured it out, my head hurts.  What did you do?!"  It really wasn't until Kit told me about the deal did I decide to pursue the topic.  I had chalked it up as something coincidental at first, but knowing that she had the possible ability of taking a soul, perhaps it's something I shouldn't ignore anymore. 

                As expected, she didn't tell me.  She didn't tell me anything at all.

                She had left me just as confused as I was before if not more so.  What she had done to Kit… to me.  I couldn't figure out why she was doing this.  What would she gain?  We were two insignificant people amongst many others.

                When my shift was over, I returned to the dormitories where I had a semi-permanent place there. 

                The next morning, I was woken up by a feeling of complete dread and sheet error.  I looked around the room, trying to see if anything had gone wrong, but nothing seemed to be out of place.  I checked Sister Mary Eunice's bed and saw that she had already risen and was nowhere in sight, along with half of the staff.

                I quickly dressed, trying to brush off the paranoia, but it continued to persist as I served breakfast and when I walked around the common room.  I could see the looks of concern on Kit's face whenever I walked by.  I couldn’t tell him anything because I didn't know if there really was anything to talk about.

                What made it worse was that I could see a mirror of my fear on Lana's face.  I hoped that we were both wrong, but when she pulled me over after lunch, I knew that something was definitely up.

                "I'm pregnant!" she blurted out to me.

                I stared blankly at her as the words slowly sunk in.  When it did, I could feel myself pale.  "I'm so sorry…"

                "I'm going to get rid of it.  I’m not going to make that monster's baby!"  I didn't know how she was going to go about this nor did I know why she was telling me of all people.  She seemed to have a natural disdain for me and it only grew stronger after what happened in the basement.  Perhaps that was also the reason why she thought I was the person to talk to.  We were there together.  It was likely that we were the only survivors of Bloody Face.  There was no one who would understand what we went through than each other.

                "I _am_ sorry for what happened," I apologised again, but I felt as if I had already paid for it in full when she left me to face Thredson's anger alone.  To be honest, if it wasn't for her, Kit probably wouldn't have needed to trade his soul away. 

                As I came to this conclusion, my own hate for her escalated.  It was her fault that our future was going up in flames.  The rational side of me knew that that was a preposterous way to think, but it felt good to put the blame on someone else, even for a short while.

                I shook away the hate and sighed before walking away. 

                To be honest, even though Lana trusted me with her secret, neither of us intended to be particularly amiable towards the other.  We just weren't compatible.

                Maybe if…

                My blood ran cold as I turned the corner and bumped right into my nightmare.

                "Hello, princess."


	12. Chapter 12

                There was no describing the fear I felt.  It was so all-consuming that I couldn't even turn to run or speak up.  I could only stare at him in horror as his hand gently caressed my left cheek before a sharp back hand sent me flying to the side.

                My head banged painfully against the stone wall.  Not again…  Please, not again…

                When my vision cleared up, I tried to scramble to my feet, but his bigger frame kept me pressed against the floor.  I kicked and screamed.  "HELP!  KIT!"  I didn't care who heard me as long as someone came.

                "Shut up, slut!"  He ripped the habit off my head and wrapped my hair around his hand.  "Daddy didn't raise a bitch to follow mommy's footsteps!"

                I cried out again when he pulled harder before his lips crashed down on mine.  I thrashed around, but my smaller form was no match for his.

                When he slipped his tongue past my lips, I chomped down and was rewarded by a cry of pain and the disgusting taste of blood in my mouth.  "Let go of me!" I screamed.

                He turned me over and pressed my stomach against the floor with his knee.  I was practically immobile.

                Struggled as I may, it was futile. I  sobbed and screamed as he began to rip the black attire from my body.  I had never been so glad for the layers of clothes that we were required to wear.

                He growled in frustration as he tore through the fabric.  "Shut up!"

                Suddenly, his body flew off me and I was finally able to stagger up. Through my blurry vision, I saw Kit punch Thredson in the face.  There was a spray of blood coming from the mad doctor's nose, but Thredson quickly recovered and nailed Kit at the temple.

                I screamed for him and tried desperately to look for something to hit the doctor with.  A stray chair caught my eye.  I tested the weight of it and found it plausible to toss.  I just couldn't guarantee that I wouldn't hit Kit instead.  The two were weaving in and out of sight as they exchanged blows around the furniture.

                Thinking fast, I threw the chair as hard as I could against the wall and saw it shatter with the impact.  The furniture in this place was as old and useless as its system.

                I took the broken chair leg and crept up behind the unsuspecting doctor.  The decaying wood snapped on his head and he crumpled to the floor.

                "Madi!"  Kit breathed as he pulled me into his arms.  Relief filled us.

                "Come on, let's get out of here."  I tugged him away, but he stood still.  "Kit!  We'll go find help and they'll put him away."

                "I need him dead for what he's done to you!" he exclaimed in frustration.

                I pulled him back as he inched towards the prone form.  "No, Kit!  We can't!  We need him alive to prove your innocence!"

                "I don't care about that.  I can't allow him the opportunity to hurt you, again!"  His red-rimmed eyes met my own.  I couldn't believe that he was more concerned with me than clearing his name.

                "Not like this," I told him.  "When we put him away, we'll also have our happy ending.  I’m not settling for anything less."

                At my adamant decision, he caved in and allowed me to lead him back to the common room where both Grace and Lana immediately crowded around us.  My ragged habit must've been quite a sight."What happened?  Did you guys do it?" Grace asked with wide, curious eyes. 

                We immediately flushed red and gave a loud shout of denial.  Many of the occupants gave us odd looks, but quickly went back to their activities.  "It's Thredson, he's back."

                Lana became sheet white, but I could also see deep hatred burn in her eyes.  "We're going to catch him!  We'll prove your innocence and nail him!"  Something much darker was in her voice.  Kit's innocence wasn't her goal, but nonetheless, I gave her a look of almost admiration as she began to outline her plan.  This was the determined writer talking.  She was going to get her story and no one was going to get in her way.

                "Sister Madison?"  I turned to see Sister Mary Eunice by the door with an unreadable expression on her face.  "Come here."

                My mind seemed to completely blank out as I followed her out of the room and into an empty office.  When the door clicked lock, I was given control of my body once more.  "Sister Mary Eunice!"  I turned quickly to face her.  The fear left a tremour in my voice.  "What are you d-doing?"  She was nearly pressed against me as I backed myself up against the desk.

                "What has the bad doctor done to you?"  She brushed a cold finger against the red lump at the crown of my head.  I winced as the numbing pain spread downward before the coolness of her touch seemed to take it all away.

                I immediately brushed my fingers over the wound in surprise.  It was gone.  "How…?"

                She gave me a cryptic smile.  "Don't worry.  The bad doctor won't be able to hurt you anymore."

                I cringed away from her hand.  "What are you?  You're not Sister Mary Eunice anymore.  I know you've done something to me!  What have you done?  Why?!"

                She sighed in annoyance.  "Let's just say…  I'm invested in your future – you and your dear Kit Walker."

                What did that even mean?  "At least tell me this, is Sister Mary Eunice still in there?"

                A sneer spread across that beautiful face.  "That weak creature?  She may have been pure, but she disintegrated the moment my spirit touched hers."

                Sadness seized me.  She didn't deserve this.  If anyone deserved to live a long and happy life, it'd be her.  She genuinely dedicated her life to help people, through the hardship and the injustice. 

                Suddenly, it was inches from my face.  My eyes widened and I tried to move away, but its long fingers grabbed a handful of my hair.  "As I've said, I have no intentions to hurt you.  Just be a good girl and don't get yourself killed.  I don't need _her_ getting her dirty claws all over you," it snarled before disappearing down the hall in a flurry of shadows.

                I slid down the wall in disbelief.  What just happened…?  What did that thing want from us?

                When I returned, Kit was on his feet in seconds and made a beeline towards me.  I pulled him to a private corner before he could blow our cover.

                "I'm fine!  I'm fine!" I tried to reassure him.  "She didn't do anything to me…  Not really, but that's not Sister Mary Eunice anymore.  She's gone…  Whatever possessed her killed her from the inside."  My voice began to crack.  "She was such a good person…  T-that _monster…_ To do something like that to her…"

                Kit held me as I sobbed in his arms.  "It'll be okay, Madi," he whispered.  "Everything will be okay."

                I clung on to him as tightly as I could, afraid that he, too, would disappear at any moment and I wouldn't even know it.  "It wants something with us.  It told me that it was _invested in our future_.  Whatever that means, as long as we'll be together…"  I looked down.  Not for one second did the feeling of dread give me reprieve. 

                He leaned down and gave me a chaste kiss.  "I'll never leave you, Madi.  I promise.  I'll do everything in my power to keep us together.  Losing you during those weeks nearly killed me.  I wouldn't be able to handle it, again."

…

                That night, Kit came back to visit me in my room.  I wanted to yell at him for being so foolish, but his logic made sense.  He had already gone twice.  The deal was done.  Why not make the most of it?  Even with the thought that there may be lasting damage to him, he quickly made me see reason.

                He left small butterfly kisses down my neck.  I sighed with my eyes closed, basking in contentment.  It was odd seeing him without a visible head, but at least I could feel his lips on me and not the ridiculous suit. 

                "Kit…"  I murmured softly, my hands tugging gently at his hair.  "I love you."  I ran my hand down his body until they bumped into the bulge straining against his pants.  It twitched under my fingers and I nearly flinched away, but his hand kept me in place.  "I'm scared…"

                He nuzzled my neck and pressed himself harder against me.  I thought of all the warnings and teachings of my childhood.  I shouldn't be doing this, but why not?  Who was I trying to impress?  God was definitely not going to save us.  With the Devil already having his hands on Kit, we really had nothing to lose.

                As soon as the image of the menacing snarl on Sister Mary Eunice's face pop into my mind, I tried to shake it away.  "Be gently with me."  I wanted out first time to be special, but who knew how much time either of us really had?  This could be as good as it'd get.

                I could feel Kit's hesitation, but with another soft urge, his long fingers began to tug the hem of my nightie above my head.  It slipped off with ease and disappeared somewhere in the darkness of my room.  I shook when he trailed his hand up my thighs and cupped the thin fabric that remained the only barrier on me.

                Feeling like I was at a bit of a disadvantage, I pushed his hand away and felt for his own clothes.  One by one, the layers of fabric disappeared.  I wondered if he would be able to find them after.  They were invisible to me.  Were they  invisible to him as well?

                With one hand on his bare chest, I threw the thought away.  That was his problem now.  "Please…"  I buckled my hips as he continued to tease me.  "Stop that and – "  His finger quickened his pace against the sensitive bud and I was instantly thrown into a world of bright, exploding stars.  I floated there until the pleasure eased back down, but I was still panting and begging for more.  My only fear now as being caught doing this.  How would I be able to explain that my invisible boyfriend – who also happened to be the alleged Bloody Face – was able to make love to me?

                Make love…

                Is that what we were doing?

                Just the thought made my face heat up.  It was finally going to happen and I couldn't stop the bubbly, nervous feeling in my stomach. 

                Kit must've sensed my unease as he tried to comfort me with small kisses.  His head lifted away from me and I knew he was silently asking if I was alright.

                I used my hands to feel where his face was and gently pulled him back down for a kiss.  "I want this, Kit.  _Please_.  Just be gentle."

                With that, he shifted his hip, rubbed himself against me, and slowly pushed in.  He was a lot bigger than I thought.  The bulge through the tight, rubber suit before had done him no justice.  When he seemed to reach the barrier, he paused and swallowed my scream as he pushed through. 

                Tears sprang out from my eyes and I tried to keep from sobbing.  It hurt, but I didn't want him to stop.  This was going to be a special moment and I knew how long he had wanted this. 

                He rubbed his cheek against mine until a smile graced my lips and I was ready for him to continue.  He went slow at first until I arched my back and pressed myself closer to him, trying to draw him deeper into me.  With that, we started a much faster and harder pace.  It didn't take me long to reach my second climax, but he wasn't done just yet.  He prolonged my release and kept pounding until I became nothing but a puddle of pleasure in his arms.

                "Kit!" I moaned quietly, afraid I was being too loud.  "Kit…"

                He angled his pelvis and slammed in deep before I felt his own release spill inside me.  I sighed, shuddering from my own climax.  At the moment, I couldn't even tell where he and I began and ended.

                "I love you, Kit – so, so much."

                For the rest of the night, we alternated between short naps and indulging in each other.

                At one point, I heard the door open.  Kit quickly threw the cover over me and disappeared somewhere, while I pretended to be asleep.

                The person walked over to the bedside and stood there silently for a moment before letting out a sigh.  It was Ben.  What did he want?  This was a perfect night.  I didn't need him ruining it for me.

                I didn't know what he wanted, but when he leaned down to place a kiss on my forehead, I nearly burst out crying.  He was my father and I knew he wasn't the type who'd coddle us with hugs and kisses, so this was something I wasn't used to, but had always wanted.  I wish I could've told him how much I cared about him despite what happened, but it was just so hard.  His lack of support was still fresh in my mind.

                I waited a little longer to see what he was going to do. 

                Nothing.

                He stood there for another minute, sighed, and left.

                The bed dipped down and I felt Kit wiping away the tears that were spilling down the sides of my face.

                "I hate this," I told him, burying my face into his bare chest.  "I wish everything could be normal.  I wish my mom wasn't dead.  I wish you weren't stuck at the stupid asylum.  I wish Blood Face was gone.  And I wish some demon wasn't after us!"

                He took the hand that was lightly hitting his torso and brought it to his lips where he planted a soft kiss to my knuckles. 

                I sighed.  "If only you can speak or I can hear you…  I'm not sure if you've been saying something the entire time."  I sighed.  "I love hearing you speak and I know you always know what to say."

                He held me closer and we fell asleep shortly after.  My dreams were fitful and they frightened me. 

…

_"Oh, Madison.  Nothing you do will ever get rid of me," the demonic voice echoed.  "Your fate has already been set.  You are powerless to stop it, weak, little human."_

_I shook my head.  "No!  No, I set my own fate!  You can't have my soul nor Kit's!  We'll think of something!"_

_The laughter sent cold chills down my spine.  "So young…  So foolish…  But you shall learn."_

_The moving shadows around me began to close in.  I could feel myself begin to hyperventilate with each step they took.  "Stop!  STOP!"  They grew closer and closer.  Their hands were reaching out towards me, looking as if they were ready to tear me apart.  "No…  leave me alone."_

_There was an outburst of force that pushed them away.  At first, I thought I had somehow managed to repel them, but as I saw black feathers flutter down in front of me, I looked up and saw her pale face staring back at me._

_She was so beautiful.  So elegant…  Her black wings began to slowly envelope me.  "Fear no longer, my child.  You are not helpless.  Your fate is not set in stone.  You will always have a choice."_

_Her hand was ice cold as it touched my cheek._

_"Who are you?" I whispered in amazement._

_"Shachath!" the voice laughed.  "You think you can take her away from me?  Your powers are weak.  You feel sympathy for these mortal creatures."_

_Ignoring it, she continued to shower me with attention._

_She reminded me of a mother.  Her soft eyes and gentle smile was so inviting.  All I wanted to do was fall asleep in her arms and never wake up because I knew that she would protect me – she would finally be able to give me peace.  She made me miss my own mother._

_My mom would hold me and comfort me like this._

_"My dear, no matter what he says, the final decision will come from you and you only."_

_I looked at her with wide, watery eyes.  "What kind of decision?"_

_She smiled sadly at me.  "You shall know when the time comes.  For now, I will help you keep the demons away."_

_With a wave of her hand, the shadow figures disappeared.  In place of the darkness was a grassy hill.  The soft breeze ruffled my hair and I smiled.  This was better – much better._

_"Thank you," I smiled and turned back to her, but she was already gone._


	13. Chapter 13

                I told Kit about my dream.  He was skeptical and rightfully so.  The dream seemed like nothing more than a dream from an overactive imagination, but that dark angel, Shachath, gave me hope.  I'd like to cling on to the words as long as I could. 

 _A choice_ , she had said.  We didn't have to submit to the demon if we didn't want to, so why would we?  When the time came, I had no doubts that I would choose anything but to follow the demon.

                "I'm just worried about everything," he sighed.  "We don't know anything about her.  What if she was worse than the demon?  What if she's working with it to trick us?  I may not be as devout as my ma wanted me to be, but even I knew that good angels don't have black wings.

                I frowned.  Sure, he was right, but did he really have to burst my happy bubble?  But what could possibly be worse than the demon who killed Sister Mary Eunice?

                An image of Thredson popped in my head, but I quickly shook it away.

                "Let's not talk about this today," he mumbled, nuzzling my neck.  "Lana has a plan to capture Thredson.  I really think it's going to work."

                I looked worriedly at him.  I didn't trust whatever Lana had planned.  It was all too likely that she would only look after herself as she usually did.  From her initial distaste for Kit, I doubt she truly cared about him.  She probably only wanted revenge for what happened and I didn't blame her.  I did, too.

                For the next few days, we waited anxiously for Thredson to show his face, again.  I kept my eyes peeled and cautiously rounded each corner as if he was going to pop out at any moment.  I didn't want to bump into him again with my guard down.

                It seemed that I didn't have to worry about that at all as I walked down the corridor one day and saw Kit crouching behind a cardboard box.  He had a small black recorder pointed towards a room.  He spotted me coming by and gestured for me to stay quiet.  I didn't have to be told twice as I knelt behind him to hear the conversation Lana was having with Thredson.

                I could hear all the anger and frustration pouring out of her, along with the vindictiveness as she told him how she had aborted their baby.  I was surprised to find that Thredson actually wanted it. 

                I was certain that he wouldn't be a good father, not after I found and had to live in his delusions.  There was no doubt in my mind that he would've sexually assaulted the poor child. 

                "You, little bitch!  You're just like her, aren't you?"  Thredson growled.  "Children don't mean anything to you!  Throw them away when it's convenient!"

                I peeked around the threshold to see the doctor lunching at Lana.  I felt compelled to help her until I saw the gun in her hand.  Where she got it, I didn't know, but with a pull of the trigger, he had crumbled to the floor.

                A part of me actually felt pity for him.  After hearing that he wanted a child, it kind of clicked to me that his version of love was just skewed.  He meant well, but ironically, he didn't understand emotions at all.  I wondered why it had taken everyone so long to realise that he was this twisted inside.  Perhaps if someone noticed sooner, he would've gotten the help that he needed.

                "It's over," Kit whispered, leaning his forehead against mine.  "I have it all here.  We'll get out of Briarcliff and you can go live with me.  My house is probably around – abandoned since…  since…"  His face screwed up in pain at the thought of his wife and for a short moment, I felt jealousy.

                Alma was missing.  Her body was never found.  What if she ever came back.  They were legally still married.  What would happen to us then?  What would happen to me?

                "We'll show this to the Monsignor and they'll _have_ to release me."

I nodded and stepped back as Lana came out of the room.  Her hands shook and she was pale, but her eyes were shining with triumph.  She was a scary woman…

                When she walked by me, I still saw disdain, but she had definitely impressed me.  I shook my head with a small laugh.  Despite everything that happened between us, she had my respect.  This woman knew what she wanted and never failed to take it.

                "Here, I'll get it to the authorities.  I think I have someone who'll help me.  She owes me."  From the way her eyes glinted dangerously, I knew she meant Judith.

                As it was, Judith probably wanted to be away from here as much as everyone else.  Taken off her throne and being subjugated to this, she must've been having a very bad time.

                Reluctantly, Kit handed the recorder over.

                Lana saw his worried look and gave him a mirthless grin.  "Don't worry.  Not going to leave you here to rot.  I plan to take Briarcliff down in its entirety.  This place isn't a correctional facility; this is a corrupt business."

                She was finally getting the big story she wanted.  Some people just didn't lose.  I was pretty jealous, but there was no one to blame but myself.  I wasn't as driven or strong as she was.  There were only a few things I wanted: Kit, family, and a quiet life.  All of this drama have been traumatising.  I couldn't wait for it to end and I knew that it would.  With my statement to the authorities and Lana's audio proof, there was no way they wouldn't believe us.  It was only a matter of time.

                After Lana sauntered away, I pecked Kit on the lips.  "I love you."

                He pulled me close.  "'Love you, too, Madi."

                We held hands until the first staff member came into sight.  From then on, we could only share secretive glances and hope that no one would notice.

                A few more days had passed.  It was unbelievably typically.  Lana still seemed to be biding her time and Sister Mary Eunice went back to her cheery self around me.  Despite this display, I knew that that wasn't her anymore.  It was no surprise that the demon was a brilliant actor.

                What happened to Thredson's body was a mystery to me, but I reckoned we could probably chalk it up as him on the run if it was never found.

                I sat at the lunch table, watching Kit talk to Grace.  Lana was sitting just slightly off to the side.  I could see her hand brushing Grace's knee every once in a while.  Well, that was an interesting development…  I knew that Lana had a girlfriend before this place tried to… rid her of her "sinful desires."  Grace, however, always seemed enamoured by Kit.  It was difficult for me to imagine that she had finally moved on.

                Difficult, but relieved.  I had nothing against her other than the fact that we both liked the same man.  Now that she was romantically involved elsewhere, I saw no reason to be wary of her… except that she was sent here because she had allegedly butchered her entire family, of course.

                I shook my head.  It was probably best if nothing changed between us.  I could be curt, yet courteous at the same time.

                "Sister Madison, you've been here for a while now, right?"  I looked over to Sister Catherine.  She was someone I've worked with often, but never really conversed with.  TO be honest, I kept to myself most of the time.  Everyone I had met and befriended, well…  That didn't turn out too well for me, did it?  My only light here was Kit.  "How do you like it here?"

                I shrugged.  "It's alright.  I never really thought of this as my dream job, but most of the staff is nice." 

                Sister Catherine nodded in understanding.  "Something's been going on with the hierarchy, though.  I can't believe what happened to Sister Judith.  One moment she's the queen of this place and the next…  Who knew she'd end up like that?  And Sister Mary Eunice!  She's pretty scary, now."

                I didn't disagree with her, but wished that she knew just how scary the situation truly was.  I couldn't fathom why the demon was here of all places.

                Idly, I nodded every once in a while to what she was saying.  There was quite a bit of gossip that she knew, but nothing would take my mind off Kit's soul and his possible freedom from this place.  I just had to place my faith on Lana this one time.

                "Sorry, I have to go," I interrupted her once she finished her last sentence, watching as the trio left.

                "Oh, okay.  I really enjoyed talking to you."  She smiled at me.  "You're a really good listener."

                Feeling a bit guilty, I smiled back before hurrying to catch up to them.  Unfortunately, they disappeared down a hallway and I lost track of them.

                Cursing myself for getting distracted, I headed to the common room in hopes that they would be there.  No such luck.

                I watched Judith mutter to herself and Pepper playing with an imaginary friend.  I didn't see how this place was supposed to "correct" anyone.  It was as if their method was to stomp out all coherent thoughts until a shell remained.  I couldn't imagine that happening to Kit. 

                For the rest of the day, I was anxiously fretting for Lana's success.

                As I landed in bed, thinking of all the things that had happened in such a short amount of time, I wondered if Kit was going to visit me, again.  He was late and it made me nervous.  Many trivial things were putting me on edge lately.

                The room felt empty now without Michaela round, but I was glad to finally have a little privacy… if Kit was still planning to come.

                Just as I was about to doze off, the door creaked open and a dark figure slipped quietly into the room.  Startled, I jolted up, but was pushed back down by its rubber-clad hands.

                "Kit?!" I whispered in alarm.

                He nodded, nuzzling my neck the way only he knew how. 

                "What are you doing in that silly suit, again?"

                He looked down at himself and shrugged.  What he did next made the question irrelevant as his hand slipped into my panties.  "Kit!"  I clamped my mouth shut and hoped that no one heard.  The smooth rubber glided along my skin, leaving a burning sensation behind.

                It was odd, but he now seemed completely comfortable in his suit.  The more I looked at it, the more it became less strange and more of a novelty.  I loved Kit as he usually was, even in the dreadful uniform, but I also loved Kit in this unorthodox piece of rubber that stretched across his toned body.

                He nudged my knees open, plunged into me hard and didn't stop until I was seeing stars.  I didn't know how loud I was being, but at that precise, moment, I didn't care.  He was my ecstasy.

_Knock.  Knock._

                I whimpered as Kit shook his head and tried to get us beneath the covers when the door opened.  Dread filled me. I  was so dead.

                "What the Hell, Madi?!" Violet hissed.

                I bit my lips, unable to look at her.

                The door quickly shut and I thought she had left to go tell Ben.  Instead, I found her standing at the foot board with her arms crossed.  "What is this kinky shit?"

                "Don't tell Ben," I squeaked.

                She rolled her eyes.  "Of course, I'm not going to tell him.  Even if I found you completely naked, tied up, being whipped, I wouldn't tell him.  Besides, do you still think I'm a virgin or something?"

                My eyes went wide and I could feel heat race to my face.  That was not what I wanted to hear.  My younger sister wasn't a virgin anymore?!  She wasn't even legal.  When had it happened?  Was she still with that guy?  Did I need to kill him if he's hurt her?  And what did she mean _tied up and whipped?!_

                "Don't give me that look.  It was fun and that's all it was," she droned on.  "Never thought a goody-two shoe like you would be into something like that though.  Is he your slave?"

                "No!" I quickly exclaimed.  This was not something I ever wanted to discuss with her.  "It's…  It's complicated."

                "Uh huh…  Not my problem, but you're waking the brat up.  If you don't want him back in your room every night, I'd suggest letting _both_ of us sleep."

                I nodded mutely at her.

                Satisfied, she left the room with a smirk on her face.

                I really didn't want to dwell on what just happened.  _Never again_.

                From beside me, I could feel Kit laughing silently and whacked him.  "We're not continuing after _that_ happened."

                He froze and wrapped his arms around me.  My resolves completely dissolved when he slipped himself between my legs and rubbed himself against me until I was a mess in his arms.  His hand was clamped around my mouth as he took me over and over, again.

…

                The next day when I got to work, Lana was already gone.  I didn't know how she did it, but I really hoped that she would do what she promised – clear Kit's name and set him free.

                Kit seemed just as anxiously excited as I was, but Grace looked disheartened.  "What am I going to do with all of you gone?" she whispered, mournfully.  "Am I going to have to be alone, again?"

                I placed my hand on hers and she looked at me in surprise.  "I don't think Lana would do that.  If she's going to get herself and Kit out, she'll also help you, too.  Who knows what will happen once the story gets out."

                Blinking back the shock, she smiled widely at me.  "Thanks."

                Kit gave my knee an appreciative squeeze beneath the table.  If this was any other place, I believed that we would've been a formidable trio, or quartet, but Lana was at a class of her own.

                "So have you guys done it, yet?"  She grinned, mischief sparkling in her eyes.

                We both turned away and flushed at the same time as she burst out laughing.

                Our afternoon was filled with pleasant conversation and light laughter.  Everything seemed to be looking up for us.  I reckoned that after we leave, the demon wouldn't be able to follow us – not without possessing another body.  I wasn't sure how that process worked, but I hoped it was complicated.

                I hummed happily as I swept the common room, while everyone else was still finishing their supper.

                Soon, we'd be out of this disaster zone and who knows?  Maybe the demon was only playing around.  It was probably laughing at us as we scrambled around trying to find a solution to a nonexistent problem.

                As I was putting the cleaning supply away, the closet behind me slammed shut and I was immediately assaulted from behind.

                Glaring red eyes burned into me.  They were slits and void of humanity.

                "Little Madi," it growled.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is what happens when you make the same mistake twice...

                Before I could scream, its cold hands was over my mouth.  What did it want from us, now?  Did it change its mind?  Did it want me dead, after all?

                It chuckled.  "I can feel your weak heart flutter.  "I could feel its sharp nails scratch my chest.  "How easily I can quench that life of yours, human."

                "Mmph!"

                I peered fearfully at the demonic face that no longer held an resemblance to my friend.  "Your soul…" it purred.  "It calls out to me."

                My eyes squeezed shut when its slimy tongue ran up my face.  I couldn't stop the tremours that shook my entire body.  I still didn't know what it wanted from me.  The last thing I imagined was for it to be exactly like Thredson.

                "Shh…  Shh… Calm your thoughts.  I am nothing like that pathetic creature."

                It took a step back and I was able to breathe properly, again.  "What do you want?" I quietly begged it for answers.  Even if it was just a hint of what it planned for us.  I was willing to accept almost anything at this point.

                "You and your lover.  You are my future."  With that, it was gone.  The door hadn't even opened, but I could no longer see its menacing form amongst the darkness.

                I slide down the wall and sobbed.  What did it mean I was its future?  That one statement only brought me thousands more questions.  It said it was invested in our future.  Now, it was saying that I _was_ its future.  What did that even mean?

                My mind was on it the entire day.  I knew that Kit was concerned, but I couldn't bring myself out of it.  I was scared and confused and almost wished that I hadn't asked it anything at all.

                "What is it, Kit?" I tiredly inquired when he rushed over to me in a state of distress.

                "It's your sister," he panted.

                My heart stopped.  Violet?  No, she wouldn't have tried to do that again would she?  They said she was better!  No, it couldn't be her.  Even if she started again, there was no reason for her to be _here_.

                I can with him to the foyer where I could clearly see my sister being brought in on a stretcher.  She screamed and cried as she tried to get out of the bindings.  "What are you doing?!" I shouted at them, trying to get to her, but Kit held me back.  "Let me go!  Violet!  Violet!"

                And in a short moment, she was carted away.

                I shook my head, collapsing on to the floor with Kit's arms still around me.  I knew he was saying something, but I couldn’t register what he was saying.

                Violet – my baby sister…  What was wrong with her?  She seemed…  _possessed._


	15. Chapter 15

                I flew at Sister Mary Eunice – ready to kill.  It had to be her.  She must've done something to Violet!  "What have you done?!" I screamed, not caring who heard.  I was sick and tired of all this.  Enough was enough!

                "Why?!" I screamed at her, as she stared casually back at me.  "Why are you dragging my sister into it?"  Tears made it difficult to see her clearly, but my rage was true.  "Leave her alone!  Leave my family out of this!  Isn't it enough that Kit and I are here?!"

                She tilted her head.  "Why do you assume that it's me?  People lose their weak, little minds all the time.  Isn't this place a proof of that?  Surely, you don't think I've done something to _all_ of them?"  Her face and voice were innocent, but I knew better and I wouldn't put it past her to do just that in some twisted scheme.

                "I _know_ it was you."  I glared, my hands trembling by my side.  "Stop your silly games!"

                "What would you give up for your family?" she interrupted.

                I blinked at her.  Many things came to mind, but I recalled what happened to Kit.  The demon didn't play fair and I wasn't going to fall for it.  "No!  You're going to let her go or…  or I'll quit and take Kit away from here.  You won't find either of us, again!"

                She threw her head back and laughed.  "Do you really think you can get away from me so easily?  The two of you _belong_ to me.  I'll always know where you are."  She licked her blood red lips.  "Little Madi…  I will follow you no matter where you go.  I will find you no matter where you hide."

                She took one step towards.  Then another and another.  Her face morphed with each step she took.  The beautiful countenance of Sister Mary Eunice twisted to reflect the evil from within.  "Because all of this…"  She ran her finger from my neck to the valley of my breasts.  "It's _MINE_."

                I turned my head away as it pressed its body against my.  My heart was pounding in my chest and I cursed myself again for being so weak, but its very presence seemed to debilitate me.  I wanted so desperately to fight, but I couldn't.  I literally couldn't even if its cold hands trailed down my body.  It was like that time again where I had absolutely no control over my own body.

                Its lips cracked open, revealing the sharp teeth that looked as if they could pierce through metal.

                _Stop.  Stop!  STOP!_ I screamed in my head.

                "Shh…"  It purred into my ear.  "Calm your mind.  Fighting will do you no good."  The long tongue brushed my bottom lip.

                I managed to let out a muffled whimper, wondering when the nightmare was going to end.  Why me?  Why was all this happening to me?

                It gave me a wet, lingering kiss before disappearing.  I didn't think my spirit could be any lower, but there it went, scattering into the cold cracks of the concrete floor.

                I wondered if this was what it would feel like for Kit if it actually took his soul.

                Quickly shaking away those thoughts, I went up to the infirmary to visit Violent.  I needed to make sure that she was alright.  I hadn't seen her like this for a very long time.  I truly wanted to believe that she had changed and that this was all the demon's doing, but I knew deep in my heart that she still craved for the high.

                I sat down by the bed.  Her wrists were wrapped up and I could see the red dots on her arm.  "Why…?" I whispered.

                She opened her bloodshot eyes.  They watered and refused to look at me.  "I don't know…  I missed it!  I thought I could finally live without it, but lately, there's this voice in my head.  I think I'm going crazy, Madi.  I think I've done too much damage to myself already and I'm really losing it this time!"

                I didn't know how to comfort her.  Would she believe me if I told her that it was a demon influencing her?  "Vi, we'll get through this together.  We have once before and we'll do it, again.  You know that I'll always be there for you."

                Her lips trembled as she, swallowed down the sob.  My strong, younger sister never liked showing weakness to anyone.  "I promised you that I could do it.  I'm sorry.  I can't take care of Michael for you."

                I shook my head.  "Don't worry about it.  It was never fair for me to do that to you.  Just get better, alright?"

                "I wish mom was here," she whispered.

                "I do, too."

…

                I stayed with her until she fell back asleep before approaching the Monsignor.  "Sir?"

                He looked up and sighed.  "Is this about Violet Harmon?"

                I nodded.  "She doesn't belong here.  She's a fifteen year old girl in a place full of murders and nymphomaniacs.  Let her go back to the rehabilitation centre she went to before."

                "Sister Madison, I can assure you that Ms. Harmon has done enough to solidify her place here."  Before I could argue, he continued.  "She was found beside the body of a pregnant woman, claiming that the baby was going to be the Devil's spawn.  Both the baby and the mother died.  It is a blessing for her that the state hadn't put her on death row."

                I paled.  "She did what?!"  Violet had failed to mention any of this.  I had to be hearing things.  "She may be a bit… not herself whenever she uses, but she had never been violent.  Did anyone actually see her kill anyone?  The weapon?  Anything?"

                "It was all there, Sister Madison," he tiredly told me.  "I'm sorry.  It's unfortunate that such a young lady is being condemned here, but if we find her well and… corrected, she won't have to stay here anymore.

                And how long was that going to be?  I knew – _I knew_ – my sister wasn't like that.  The voice in her head had to have been the one controlling her.  Normally, that may sound crazy, but with a known demon so close, I had no doubts.  I just didn't know how to help her.  There were so many things piling on top of each other and it was all converging on the demon.  Maybe if I could find out what it wanted…

                Before leaving for the night, I gave Violet another visit.  She was staring blankly at the opposite wall.  I wanted to say so much, but I didn't know how to go about it, so I merely sat silently beside her, hoping my moral support would be enough. 

                "I wanted to tell you, Madi," she suddenly spoke up, breaking the silence.  "But I really hoped that it hadn't happened.  There was so much blood.  It was all over me and oh God…  I saw it.  Is aw the baby in her stomach!  That tiny body…"

                I swallowed, wishing that she would stop talking, but knew that she needed to get this out and I had to hear the whole story from her first.

                "It's like my body wasn't my own anymore.  I saw the knife…  I saw the woman…  and then, she was on the ground."  Tears streamed down her face.  "I'm sorry, Madi!  I tried so hard to be good, but I think there's something wrong with me.  I'm…  I…  I tried to kill myself after, but I even failed at doing that!  _What the fuck is wrong with me?!"_

I had that happen before – nothing so extreme – but it was real.  Violet wasn't wired wrong.  I just didn't know how to get its hands off her, but –

                "It happened to my boyfriend, too," she continued quietly.  "He didn't kill anyone, but he just went crazy.  I don't know where they took him because the next thing I knew, they told me that he had died."

                "When was this?" I whispered, my blood running cold.

                "Just recently."

                My heart and mind raced.  I quickly gave her a description of the body who had been wheeled in, screaming and bound as she was.  The boy with the demonic eyes.

                She froze in shock before confirming my fear.

                How long had that demon been around my family?  How long had it been planning this>?

                "Madi, what is it?  Tell me!" she demanded, but her eyes only reflected fear.

                I leaned over to pull her into a hug.  "Trust me when Is ay that there is nothing wrong with you.  There are weird things right now and I'd explain it all to you if I thought I could do so without confusing everyone.  But know this, the loss of control?  It's happened to me, too.  I know who's been doing it.  I just don't know why, but I'll get us out of this mess, Vi.  I promise."  Even if it was the last thing I did.

                "I'm scared, Madi," she whispered.

                "I know.  I am, too."  I placed a kiss on her forehead and walked away.

…

                I entered the dark and quiet house.  The silent made me worry.  Whenever Violet wasn't around to take care of him, Michael could be heard wailing, so where was he now?

                My first fears went to the demon having done something to him as I headed straight to my room.  I found him absent in the crib.  He wasn't in Violet's room either.  Panic quickly set in.  Where could he be?  Systematically, I searched every room before ending up in front of Ben's office.  The door was closed and when I pressed my ear against it, there was only silence.

                Slowly, I pushed the door open and blinked at the sight in front of me.  This was most definitely not what I expected.

                Ben was sitting behind his desk with his head hanging to one side.  A soft, almost inaudible snore rhythmically floated around the room.  Little Michael was clinging on to him like a baby Koala.  A wet patch on Ben's shirt was right by his mouth.

                One of Ben's arms was wrapped around him, keeping his tiny body in place.

                I could feel tears build up in my eyes.  For the longest time, I had hoped to see something like this.  The hope had since faded, but there it was.

                I went to get a blanket and gently draped it over them.

                Neither stirred.

                When I returned to my room.  I heard the quiet knocking at my window.  No one could be seen, but I knew exactly who it was.  "Hi, Kit," I whispered as he wrapped his arms around me.  If I closed my eyes, I could swear I smelled the cheap body soap on him.

                His chest raised up quickly and lowered slowly in a sigh. 

                "Is everyone okay?"

                After he was clothed, he shrugged.

                I pulled him into a kiss, which he happily deepened.

 

                "I love you."

…

               Kit sighed into the kiss, happily reciprocating her confession, knowing that she couldn't hear him.  "I love you, too, Madi."  He stroked her soft body and tipped her on to the bed.

                He knew how much today must've affected her and he had every intention to make her forget it all, even if It was only for one night.  He'd worship her until she screamed his name.

                It should feel wrong, her being a Sister – her being his… caretaker of sorts, but somehow, the guilt of it only fuelled his lust.  There must be something wrong with him, but he happily accepted it.

                Without another thought, he plunged in and savoured the feeling of her warm, wet walls clenching around his member.  "Oh, Madi," he groaned, leaning over to pull her into another kiss.  She was so beautiful and she was all his.

                He felt her first climax shake her entire body and it nearly took him with her.  With all the will power he could muster, he staved off his release and waited for her to come back down and stop squeezing him.

                Once he knew he wasn't going to spill inside her when he moved, he resumed his rhythm.  In and out.  In and out.  He groaned loudly when her second climax came.  How long would he be able to hold on?  It was almost becoming painful, but he knew if he came now, he'd be out for the count for the rest of the night.

                "Come on, Madi…" he practically begged for all her troubles to simply vanish as he plowed on.  As her walls clenched around him a third time, he crumbled, allowing her to milk him of everything that he had.  The delayed gratification only heightened the pleasure and he collapsed on top of her before rolling to the side.

                She was completely boneless as he manipulated her into his arms.  The top of her head was the perfect place for his chin.  She was so tiny.

                He had realised a while ago that in this state, he wouldn't be able to fall asleep.  When he did, he'd be back in his own body and he wanted to stay with her until morning.  He didn't want to leave yet.  What it would feel like to see her eyes flutter open beneath the soft sunlight…

                He sighed happily.  Once he got out, he'd be able to do it every day.

                The night went on quietly until the first whimper pulled him from his meditative state.  He looked down to see her face scrunched up into a frown.  Not knowing if he should wake her up or not, he simply waited until the whimpers escalated into shouts that nearly startled him off the bed.

                He quickly shook her shoulder, trying to wake her, but no matter what he did, she remained in her slumbering turmoil.

                "Madi, wake up!  Wake up!" he futilely shouted over her bloodcurdling screams.

                The door burst open and he jumped away, glad that no one would be able to see him without clothes on.

                Ben rushed in with a crying Michael in his arms.  The toddler immediately crawled over to Madi as soon as his tiny body was on the bed.

                Kit watched as her father tried desperately to wake her up – similar to what he had been doing.  Unfortunately, it produced no better results.  He could see the fear clearly on Ben's face.  After seeing Violet like that, he couldn't imagine what he older man could be thinking.

                "Don't take them away from me!" came the first coherent words from her lips.  "No!"

                Kit wasn't sure if he would ever be able to forget that for the rest of his life.  It was simultaneously the most terrifying, yet heart-wrenching thing he had ever seen.  Her screams echoed in the room and in his ears and there was nothing he could do about it.  He was absolutely helpless.

                "Come get me instead, you bastard!" he shouted in anger, knowing full well who and what was causing his Madi to suffer.  "I'm right here!  I'm fuckin' naked and defenseless!  Leave her alone!  She was never part of the fuckin' deal!"

                He didn't expect a reply from the demon, but when a cold chill brushed past him, he wondered if it was in the room, lavishing in their suffering. 

                Little Michael pawed his was on to her chest, sucking his thumb and cried with her.

                He blinked a few times, was the toddler glowing?  At first, Kit chalked it up as a trick of the light and a heavy dose of stress, but the glow spread until it encompassed Madi as well.  As it did, she began to quiet down until even the frown was gone and her erratic movements stilled.

                "Madi?"  Kit and Ben called out at the same time.

                Her eyelids fluttered before she woke up and looked around in confusion.

                "Dad…?"  Her quiet voice resembled that of a lost, young child.  She slowly sat up, holding Michael close to her as she did so.  "What's going on?"

                With tears in his eyes, Ben pulled her against him.  "You're okay.  You're okay!"

                She didn't respond, puzzlement still on her face before she patted his awkwardly on the back.  "Why are you…?"

                Ben took a step back to get a good look at her.  "You don't remember?"

                She shook her head with a frown.  "No, I…"  Suddenly, she bent over in pain.

                "Madison, what's wrong?!"

                "I – I don't know…  It hurts…"  She fell back on to her bed, curled up in pain.  "It hurts!"

                Kit rushed over to her, dismissing the fact that he was probably leaving telling imprints on the bed.  "Madi…  Madi…"  He wrapped his arms around her waist and tried his best to comfort her.

                Michael's wailing started up again as soon as Madi's tortured cries returned.

                From the corner of his eyes, eh saw her.  She was pale and dark.  She was cold and inviting.  He knew exactly who she was.  'Don't take her away from me," he cried.  Life without her was terrible.  He couldn't imagine an eternity of loneliness – loneliness without his Madi…

                "Not yet…" her soothing voice washed over him.  "She's not ready."

                He shook his head.  "No!"  Never.  She was never going to leave him.

                The fluttering black feathers disappeared and he could no longer see her.  Shachath.  That's the name of the dark angel Madi had mentioned.  At least, he assumed this was the same one.  He didn't think he'd be able to handle having anymore supernatural beings in his life.  This was all too much. 

                "Do you need me to stay with you?" Ben whispered to his whimpering daughter.

                She shook her head, so he started to lift Michael away, but the boy cried and clung on tighter to her.  "It's alright," she groaned.  "Let him stay here."

                With one last concerned look, he nodded and shut the door quietly behind him.

                "Kit…?"

                "I'm here."  He held her as closely as he could without disturbing Michael.  The boy had stuck his thumb back in his mouth and began to suck on it.  "I'm here, Madi."  He knew she couldn't hear him, but he hoped that she knew how much she meant to him.  She just had to hang on.

                "Don't leave me," she sobbed.  'I'm so scared.  I can't lose you!"

                If she was as fearful as him in regards to that, he knew how much it hurt just imagining it.

                "I'm not going anywhere," he replied, kissing her shoulder.  "I'm here to stay.  I'll always be here with you.  If we're ever not together, I'll find you.  I'll find you and show you how much I love you."

 


	16. Chapter 16

                I felt much better after waking up.  It didn't feel like my life was being ripped from my body as I watched Kit fade away over and over again.

                When something brushed against me, I jumped and stared at the empty spot on my bed in horror.  "K- Kit…?"  Was it really him?  He was always gone by the time I woke up.

                A soft kiss to the temple of my head confirmed my suspicion.  "What are you still doing here?"

                His arms wrapped around me and I felt something like a sigh caress my skin.

                "Good morning to you, too."  I smiled.

                He pressed himself closer against me and I could feel his arousal.  He was still naked from the night before.  I wanted nothing more than to stay here until we were both sated and worn. 

                I hummed.  "Not now," I whispered , half-heartedly, moaning softly as he placed butterfly kisses down the side of my neck.  Whatever he was doing would lead to the reason why I was late for work that morning. 

                I received a couple of disapproving glares when I arrived, flushed from the frenzy of having to run to work. 

                Sister Catherine gave me a small, comforting pat on the back as we wheeled breakfast through the cafeteria.  I placed Kit's plate in front of him, but avoided all eye contact.  If I even set my eyes on him, I knew that I would do something I'd regret.  His very presence had become all-consuming.

                "Good morning, Madi!" Grace grinned cheekily at me.  I could only surmise that Kit had let me nickname slip during one of their conversations.  "Had a _wonderful_ morning?"  And I really didn't want to know what she may have been thinking.

                "It was fine, Grace.  Thank you."  I tried my best to keep a straight face, but I could feel the heat creeping up from my neck.  My ears were already burning. 

               Her eyes sparkled mischievously at me.  "I bet!"  Her cackling could be heard as I scurried away with the food trolley.  My face was flushed a deep crimson and I couldn't look at Sister Catherine as she wondered what was going on.

                "Are you going to visit your sister, now?" she asked when the last plate was distributed in front of Pepper, who paid no mind to it as she opted to converse with her imaginary friend.

                I nodded, my eyes downcast.  "I'm really worried about her.  She's always been a bit different, but never like this.  I want to help her somehow."

                She bobbed her head in understanding.

                I took a tray and made my way to the infirmary.  "Vi?"

                She was staring up towards a corner of the room, talking to an invisible presence.  It was very similar to what Pepper had been doing, but this had an eerie feeling to it. 

                "Vi?" I called to her, again.

                Reluctantly, she pulled her attention from the other… occupant.

                "Mads?"  She looked back at the corner in confusion.  "I think I've really lost it…"

                I sat down and placed the tray on her lap.  "You'll feel better once you get some food in you."

                "I want a smoke."

                "Vi, _please_."

                Without another word, she grudgingly stuffed the spoon into her mouth.  Neither of us spoke until she was done.  At least one of us still had an appetite. 

                "How are you feeling, now?"

                Colour had returned to her cheeks.  "Like rainbows and butterflies," she retorted.  Her humour as well, it seemed.  "Like fuckin' shit.  What did _you_ think?"

                I sighed.  "I'm glad you're still you."

                "Am I?"

                "Violet…"

                "Okay, I feel like myself.  It's just this entire fuckin' place!  I hate it here!  Just throw me in prison.  I can take care of myself.  These crazies are making me completely lose my fuckin' mind!"

                I didn't know when or if she would ever get out of here.  Lana had been the only one I've seen thus far and she was here because of… well…  no particular reason.  They found Violet at the scene of the crime, completely mad.  What were the chances of her being found innocent unless we somehow managed to catch the true perpetrator.

                "I'll be here for you, Violet.  I've been here this long and I'm still fine."  I tried to comfort her.

                She shot me a look.  "Really?  Were you always into that kinky shit?  Who would've though, huh?"

                My face flushed red.  When was she going to let that go?  "There's a perfectly good explanation for that!"

                "Uh huh…"

                Wasn't there?  True, it wasn't as if Kit needed it for him to be with me and it wasn't as if he couldn't wear something else, per se.  Okay, so he looked wonderful in all that tight rubber.  There was no use lying about that and it felt so nice running along my skin…

                "Okay, stop that thought.  I don't wanna be here if you're going to look like _that_."

                I turned my head.  "Shut up!  You're the one who brought it up!"

                She sniggered.  Sometimes, I really hated her.

                "Just feel better soon, okay?  You know I'm here for you, and Ben…  Even though he's not the best father, I think he cares."  I tried to comfort her.  "Guess what I saw?  He was sleeping with Michael!  I wondered if he ever did that with us.  I can't recall…"

                Violet shot me a disgusted look and realisation hit me.  "Don't be so nasty, Vi!  You know that's not what I meant, at all!"  Sometimes, I wondered if she was really my sister…

                "Go do you job, Mads."  She shooed me away.  "I hate it when you coddle me like this.  You know I'm strong.  Nothing is going to break me!"  With a defiant huff, she turned her nose away from me.

                I smiled.  Yes, I believed that.  Violet was the strongest person I knew.  She'd give Lana a run for her money.  I only wished she hadn't gotten herself caught up in so much trouble.

                When I walked out of the infirmary, Sister Mary Eunice brushed by me with a smirk.  I quickly grabbed her own and pulled her back out.  There was no way I was going to let that demon near my sister – not if I could help it.

                "What are you up to now?" I hissed at her.

                She blinked innocently at me.  "I haven't a clue what you mean."

                "Stop messing with me!"  Talking to her – it – was like talking to a wall!  "I know it was you who seduced Violet in that boy's body and I know you made her do that…  horrible thing to the pregnant woman.  Why?  Aren't Kit and I enough?  How does Violet fit into your sick games?"

                Her smirk twisted into something a little more monstrous.  "How she fits in?  Does she need to fit into anything?  I merely wanted a bit of fun and she happily gave it to me."  She leaned in.  "Your sister is quite wild in bed.  I know you're the same."

                My eyes widened and I quickly stepped away.  "You're absolutely revolting!  Just leave us alone!"

                Before I could turn, she quickly grabbed my arm.  "In all honesty, I wasn't really there for it.  I allowed him to have just that bit of consciousness left to take her innocence."

                I shook her off and turned.  I haven't realised that our conversation had carried to the foyer until I heard his young voice call out to me.  In that moment, so much happened in a split second.

                "Madi!  Madi!"  I saw Michael's beaming face glowing back at me.

                The Monsignor pushed me aside with one hand and the other, threw Sister Mary Eunice over the balcony.  Her body plummeted straight down, but the smirk never left her face.

                " _Mine_ ," its hissed carried over to me.

                Screams filled the entrance as everyone stared at Sister Mary Eunice's broken body in horror.  Blood pooled around her.  Her limbs were twisted in awkward positions, but those dark eyes never closed.  They seemed to continue staring at me with that sick smirk on her face.  That couldn't be it.  The demon couldn't possibly be gone just like that.

                "Madison!"

                I looked down at Ben to see him rushing up the stairs towards me with Michael in his arms.  "Madison, are you okay?  My God…"  He pulled me into a one-armed embrace and kissed my forehead where strands of hair had come loose.  "I can't allow you to work here anymore.  Not after _that_."

                My heart was pounding so loudly in my ears that it was difficult trying to make sense of what he was saying.  'W-what are you doing here?" I finally managed to stutter out when it didn't feel as if I was going to bend over and lose what little food I had taken in.

                "I was going to visit Violet," he replied, shifting Michael in his arms.  "I can't let her stay here, either.  It's not safe."

                "I don't think you have much of a choice.  They're not going to let you move Violet and it's best that I stay here to take care of her.  She needs me," I reasoned with him.  I also didn't want to leave until I was sure Kit would come with me.

                He sighed.  I knew he saw the logic in what I was saying.  Violet would be better off if I was the one to look after her.  No matter how friendly any of them appeared, I didn't trust anyone with my little sister's safety.

                "Madi…"  Michael reached out and tugged gently at a small lock of hair.

                I kissed him absentmindedly before leading them to the infirmary.  I didn't want him near the demon or the dead body if I could help it.  I wished that Ben had never brought him here, but I knew that he couldn't have known what would happen.  No one did, and they both deserved to see Violet.

                When they entered, I quickly excused myself.  My hands were shaking.   I needed him with me.  I needed to see that he was still alright after what happened.

                My feet carried me down the steps and never stopped their hurried state until I was inside his cell, shaking him from his nap.

                "Madi?"  He turned groggily at me before snapping awake when he saw my tear-stained face.  "Madi, what's wrong?"  He sat up and had me in his arms in the same second.  "What happened?  Tell me.  Is it Violet?  Did something happen to her?  Stop crying.  _Please_."

                I sobbed and sobbed until his shirt was soaked and even then, I couldn't bring myself to stop.  "S-sister Mary Eunice is gone…!  I mean…  Her body…  the M-monsignor!"

                Kit held me tighter.  "Isn't that better?  The demon is gone and we'll be free of it."

                I sniffed.  "Are we really?  It couldn't possibly be continued in a mortal body like that.  It had come from the boy who came in several months ago."  Violet's ex-boyfriend.  "It went into Sister Mary Eunice end k-killed her.  I'm pretty sure it just went into another body, but who?  Who did it kill?  And how long before it comes after us, again?"

                "Whoever it is…"  He swallowed.  "We'll deal with it when the time comes."

                I nodded morosely.

                I could only hope that this would be a favourable change for us.  God knows that we needed it at this point.  I never believed in Him, but I was willing to try if it meant that we'd make it out of this in one piece.

…

                Michael stayed in my room that night.  I thought I would give Ben a bit of a break.  I knew he was really trying and I missed my baby brother.  Although I hadn't exactly lost Violet, sometimes, it felt that way.  I wanted to keep what I had as close as I could.

                "Madi!"

                I picked him up and kissed his soft, chubby cheeks.  "Sleepy time," I cooed, tucking him beneath his thin blanket.

                "Madi!  Madi!"

                "Shh…"  I tried to keep him quiet.  I didn't know why he was particularly fussy.  He had always been a very well behaved child.  "Michael, be a good boy.  Close your eyes."

                He shook his head fervently, his bottom lip stuck out before he burst out crying until I picked him back up from his crib.  "Okay, you can come sleep with me.  Shh…  Michael, come on.  F-father is asleep.  You don't want to wake him up, do you?"

                His mouth clamped shut, but his lips continued to tremble.  "Madi…"

                "I'm here.  I'll keep you safe."

                A quiet whimper escaped him as he wiggled as close as he could to me.  Once he was comfortable, he had one tiny hand clenching tightly on to the fabric of my nightie while he sucked the thumb on his other hand. 

                I sighed and wished again that Michael hadn't been there at Sister Mary Eunice's… passing.  It must've been traumatising for his innocent mind.  It was traumatising for _me_ despite all that I had to witness.

                Hopefully, tomorrow would be a better day.

_"Madi!"  Kit looked to be in distress as he ran over to me.  "They're here!  You have to get out!"_

_"W-what?"  I stared at him with big, confused eyes.  "What are you talking about?"  What was going on?_

_"Come on!"  He pulled at my hand, leading me down several sets of stairs.  "Hurry!  They're coming!"_

_Wordlessly, I allowed him to take me away.  He knew he had my trust and I would follow him to the ends of the Earth, but he wasn't making any sense!_

_"This way!"_

_My breath became laboured as we descended lower and lower.  Down and down we went in a spiral.  I didn't even know there was a place like this here.  "W-where…  What is this place?"_

_He didn't reply._

_I looked at the room I was in and briefly saw Dr. Arden lay down on a stretcher atop Sister Mary Eunice's still body.  I was disgusted by how he was desecrating her memories.  Before I could stop him, Kit had already pulled me out the door.  We went up several sets of stairs and out the door._

_I had never been here before.  The trees were tall and looming.  The grass was overgrown.  It was difficult to see past them.  The darkness didn't help my vision._

_"Here, Madi."_

_I blinked.  Had his voice changed?_

_"Here, Madi."_

_I squinted my eyes at him.  I had to be seeing things.  I was definitely_ hearing _things._

_"Here, Madi."_

_"Kit?" I called back to him._

_"Right here."_

_With a hard tug, I was in his arms.  "W-where are we?  W-what are you…  What should I be looking at?"_

_"Shh…" he breathed into my ear.  "They're be here, soon."_

_My heart began to pound in my chest.  What was he talking about?  What was…  Hadn't he warned me once about this place?  Did he ever say exactly what was here?_

_His hand trailed down the front of my body and I felt something hard pressing against the small of my back._

_"Stop!  Kit!"  Hadn't we just been running from someone?_

_A finger lifted the layers of cloth up._

_"You're so beautiful," he purred.  "I've always wanted a reason to know what it feels like to be inside you."  He snapped his finger and suddenly, I was fully nude caught in his arms._

_"W-what…? **STOP**!" I screamed, trying desperately to squirm away.  This wasn't him.  This wasn't Kit!  "Don't do this!  Not here!"  Everything felt wrong._

_Suddenly, I saw something flit towards us from the corner of my eyes.  I held my breath.  What was that?_

_"If you don't be quiet, they'll come here and rip out your throat," he hissed._

_I turned abruptly to look at him and saw a familiar smirk.  "N-no…" I shook my head in disbelief._

_He chuckled.  'What do you mean, Madi?  Didn't you saw you loved me?  Don't you love it when I'm inside you?  Beneath all that innocence, you're just a whore, aren't you?  You crave to be taken.  You love to be dominated.  You love to be dominated by **me**."_

_With a quick shift, I was fully impaled on him.  The lower half of my body turned into liquid fire and every motion was painful.  "Please…  Stop…"_

_His red eyes glowed in the dark forest.  He let out a satisfied growl before bouncing me in his arms.  It felt as if he was splitting me in half.  It hurt.  It hurt!  "STOP!  STOP!"  This wasn't Kit!  Kit would never do this to me!  "Leave me alone!  Leave his body, you monster!"_

_I didn't know how long it lasted, but when he was done, I was flung away from him.  My entire body ached and burned.  Why…?_

_"Have fun with her, but I expect her to still be alive when you're done.  Understand?_

_At first, I was confused b y what he meant, but as two bodies descent upon me, I let out a terrified scream at their mutated faces._

_Their sharp teeth dripped with saliva._

_The first bite was the most painful.  The teeth dug deep into my arms, right down to the bone.  I could feel my tendons snap and my limps hung loosely – uselessly, by my side._

_The next few minutes quickly became an out of body experience.  I wasn't actually there.  This couldn't possibly be happening to me._

_My eyes fluttered close, by they snapped back open as something soft tickled my nose._

_"Shachath…" I whispered her name._

_She stroked my face, completely unphased by what was happening.   "Rest, my child.  Let me take you away and you shall be free from this suffering."_

_Tears streamed down my face.  "Kit…"_

_Her kind face softened.  "Rest…  Worry no more."_

_"Kit!"_

_I only wanted him.  No, I couldn't let go now.  I still had so much I wanted to do.  I wanted to get married and have a family with him. I  wanted to wake up and see his sleeping face._

_This wasn't how I wanted to die!_

_But…_

_" **KIT!"**_


	17. Chapter 17

                I was woken abruptly by a sharp pain at my ears.  My eyes snapped open and I looked bleraily around me.  I was in the safety of my won room.  I was safe.  Kit hadn't turned into a demon and I wasn't being eaten by cannibals, but what had bitten me?

                When my vision cleared, I peered into two glowing red orbs and couldn't seem to comprehend what I was seeing.

                "Wha…?"

                "Madi!"  Michael plopped onto my chest.

                Was I still dreaming?

                "Madi mine!  Mine!  My Madi!"  He slapped my cheeks lightly with his tiny hands until I was fully awake and I wished that I wasn't.  This had to be part of the nightmare.  I refused to believe that this was real.

                "No nightmare, Madi!  Mine!  Mine!"  He continued to playfully bounce, keeping up with the innocent persona.

                "No…  No.  No! _No_!"  I didn't know whether to push him off or not.  His wide grin beamed at me, but those glowing orbs…  "Get out of him!" I screamed, finally deciding to at least separate myself from him.  I couldn't push him off.  I couldn't hurt him, not when he looked like Michael.   "You, sick freak!  How dare you do this to my brother?!"

                He tilted his head at me.  "Madi mad?  Mad Madi!" he giggled wildly.  "Going to get in trouble!  Trouble!"

                "What are you talk – "  I was cut off when the door to my room burst open and a haggard Ben stumbled in.

                He had a broomstick in his hands and looked ready to get rid of whatever intruder made me shout, but he wouldn't be able to help me here.  "What's going on, Madison?  Are you hurt?"

                I stared blankly at him.  What exactly was I supposed to say – that his other child had been possessed by the demon that sent Violet into Briarcliff?  "I…"

                "Madi mad!"

                He frowned at me.  "Why were you screaming?"

                "Mad Madi!"

                "I…"

                Ben was furious when he realised that _nothing was wrong_ and scolded me for waking the entire house up.  All the while, Michael continued to play the innocent toddler.  When Ben was done, I wanted to leave with him, but where was I to go?  I was stuck in this waking nightmare with absolutely nowhere to go. 

                "Why Michael…?" I whispered in despair.  "He was only a child.  What could you possibly accomplish with his body?  You'd have to wait years before you could even _reach the door._

                "Innocence.  Yum…" he replied, clapping his hands.  "Yum, yum, yummy!"

                "No!" I shouted back before lowering my voice, again.  I wanted to strangle that voice out of my brother's body.  "You killed my baby brother!  What makes you think I won't kill you in that body?  I know he's no longer alive in there.  I've seen what you had done to Sister Mary Eunice.  There's no reason why I shouldn't do it now."  My eyes burned with tears and my hands shook from the sheer will of not pulling all my hair out.

                "Madi…  kill… Mikey?" he babbled.  With that, he let out a loud wail before I slapped my hand over his mouth.

                "You, be quiet," I hissed.  "You disgusting piece of filth.  I will _never_ let you win – not after everything you've done to me and the people I love.  I will find a way to get rid of you permanently, I swear on it."

                His eyes glinted amusedly at me as if he hadn't believed a single word I said.  I would prove him wrong.

                "Madi can't win," he told me when I released him.  "Madi _mine_."  Like how Michael used to do it, he wiggled towards me and cuddled against my chest.  "Mine…"

                I turned my body away from him and cried.

               He was right.  I wouldn't be able to kill him.  I couldn't look at Michael's face and watch the light in those beautiful, wide eyes slowly fade.  And how was I to even do it without being found out?  I had no doubt that Ben wouldn't be against putting me behind bar if the time came.

                Say that I did try to kill the demon, who's to say it wouldn't just possess another body?  Everything I'd do would be for not.  But how could I live on knowing the demon had killed Michael and was wearing his face?

                Throughout the night, I continued to debate whether freeing my brother's body would be the right thing to do.  Was I really allowing it to desecrate something I held so dear?

                What did I even have left?

                "Sister Madison, are you alright?"  I gazed into the concerned eyes of Sister Catherine.  "You've been very quiet and you look so sad.  Is it your sister?  I can help take care of her for you.  She won't be harmed in any way if I could help it.  I promise."

                Tears pricked my eyes at her words.  "Thank you.  I'd really appreciate that.  I – I really don't know how much longer I can…"

                She patted my hand.  "Don't worry.  I’m here for you."

                "Thank you," I repeated, but I felt so empty right now as if no one was really occupying this body; as if I was merely watching a horror story unfold.  I was completely helpless to stop anything from happening. 

                "You know you can tell me anything, right?  If anything else is wrong…"  She stopped in shock as I pulled her into a hug.  After a second, she returned the gesture  rubbed my back comfortingly – like a mother.  I had no doubts that she would take great care of Violet.

                I stepped back.  "I'll take you up on that offer."

                I visited Violet later that day to tell her about Sister Catherine.  I felt a little better knowing someone would be able to take care of her if I wasn't around.

                The way she looked at me, I could tell she knew something was wrong.  "Have you found my stash?"

                I gave her a startled look.  "Excuse me?!"

                She shrugged.  "You looked so out of it that I Just had to ask."

                My eyes were impossibly wide as I continued to stare at her in shock.  "You have a _stash_ at the house?!"

                She suppressed a grin.  "I was only kidding… maybe."

                "There better not be anything incriminating in your room!" I snapped.

                She sniggered.  "Who said it was in my room?"

                She was absolutely impossible…  This better all be a joke!

                "Violet, if Michael ever comes to visit, I want you to be careful," I blurted out and received the expected expression.  "I know that sounds strange and what I'm going to tell you isn't going to make a lot of sense, but there was a demon here.  Do you remember when you told me about your boyfriend and I knew what he looked like?"

                She gave me a slow nod.

                "He was here screaming like the Devil had possessed him and that really wasn't too far from the truth.  We thought that he had died because of more natural causes, but when he died, the demon possessed another body."  I swallowed.  "You heard of Sister Mary Eunice's death, didn't you?  The demon had possessed her next.  I'm guessing the Monsignor found out and decided to try to get rid of it, but when she died…"

                Realisation dawned on her face.  "The demon possessed another person."

                I nodded.  "And that person is Michael.  I've spoken to it, may times.  It only possesses the purest souls, but it also… consumes it."  My lips trembled as I continued.  "Michael, he…  He's gone, Violet…  Our baby brother…  Now there's a demon in our house, using his skin."

                Violet turned her face away from me and I could see her shoulders shake.  When she collected himself, she looked back at me.  "You're telling me out of all those buffed man nurses… guards – whatever – it decided to possess a defenseless baby?"

                "Exactly that," I whispered.  "It has some sick fascination with our family, Violet."  Or maybe it was Kit and I, but they were caught in the crossfire.  It was _our_ fault that this was happening to them.  "That' s why I told you what happened to you wasn't your fault.  I've had its voice in my head too and I've lost completely control over my body."

                Violet looked contemplatively ahead of her.  "So we're going to do something about it, right?"  She managed to keep her voice steady despite the tears that made her eyes glitter.

                I bit my lips.  "I want to."

                "We're _going_ to."  She threw the covers off herself and began to get out of bed.

                "What are you doing?" I looked at her, startled.  "You shouldn't be out of bed, yet."

                "I'm sick of being stuck here and I have all the time in the world.  We're in a fuckin' church.  This is exactly the kind of place we'll find books on exorcising demons!"

                "Wait, Violet!"  I ran after her.

…

                We raided the old, dusty library.  Each book threatened to fall apart.  It was obvious no one ever came here and I couldn't blame them as I scanned over the topics.

                Despite knowing that the text was going to put me to sleep, I cracked open the first book and coughed at the puff of dust that bloomed out.  I flipped through the pages, hoping to find something – anything – on the demon.

                One book became two.  Two books became two dozen.  My mind was horribly exhausted.  I hoped that no one noticed that I wasn't going my duty…

                As the clock notified us that it was midnight, I was done.  I couldn't even bring myself to walk home.

                I grabbed tossed the useless books aside and sighed.  The bed beside me was now empty.  It was strange.  Despite losing Sister Mary Eunice, her… body's presence was always there – watching me.  Now, she wasn't.

                Days went by before we found anything substantial.

                "Look."  Violet pointed at a spot on the page.  " _Croatoan_.  That's what the people back then used to banish evil spirits."

                "It also says that we need something personal and burn it.  How exactly are we supposed to do _that_?"

                She groaned and threw the book back down.  "Fuck this.  Just take my soul.  It's probably less mind numbing than reading this shit."

                I sighed.  "Okay.  We're going to take a break and – "

                There was a sudden bang and loud screaming.  We stared at the library door in alarm.

                "What the Hell was that?!"

                I shushed her and crept to the balcony overlooking the foyer.  Everyone was staring at the entranceway in alarm.

                "Hands up!"  A group of black-armoured men stormed in.  "I said _'hands up!'"_

                An echo of terrified screams rang through the manor.  What on Earth was going on?!

                "What is the meaning of this?" the Monsignor stepped up.  His eyes were stern and fearless even as he faced the dozens of guns pointed at him.  "This is a – "

                "We are shutting this place down!" one of them shouted.  "Anyone who struggles will face the consequences."

                One of the Sisters jumped and tried to run, but a bullet to her back ended her fleeting attempt.  "Do you believe us, now?  Each of you will be detained for everything that you have done.  Comply quietly and we won't' have to use any violence.  This doesn't have to end in death, but we know of the horrors you have wrecked on your wards."

                Wards?  Some of these people were serial killers!  I couldn't believe these _men_ who know _nothing_ were just going to storm in here killing innocent people!

                Gritting my teeth, I watched as each of my colleagues were cuffed and pushed to the floor.  No one was brave enough to defy them after seeing what happened to the Sister.  I never even knew her name…

                "Madi, come on.  We have to go."  Violet tugged at my hand.

                I noticed that the other patients and convicts were all gently ushered out.  This was completely madness.

                "Wait, Kit is – "

                "He'll be okay by himself!  We'll take the back door!"  I quickly stopped her.  Kit's warning and my nightmare came to mind.

                "No, Violet."  There had to be something else we could do.  "It's not safe in those woods.  There's something there."  I turned back to the soldiers.  "Look, they're letting you guys out.  Go with them."

                "What if they execute us on the spot when we get outside?!"

                I looked uncertainly at her.  "I don't know, but it's not safe _here_.  Look at what just happened!"

                "And it's not safe out there with them.  I'd rather stay here with you."

                I held her hand.  "Okay."  I did feel better with my sister beside me.

                No one had noticed us, yet.  All we could do was hide. 

We began to make out way back to the library when Kit appeared in the hallway, panting.  He looked relieved to see me and I felt the same way. 

"Madi!"

I let go of Violet's hand and began to run towards him when I saw a glimpse of black heading towards us.  My eyes widened before pain ripped through me.

…

                Kit quickly pushed Grace behind the couch when he heard the first gunshot. 

                "What was _that_?!"  Her eyes were wide, but there was unusual excitement there. 

                He didn't know, but his thoughts immediately went out to Madi.  It had been a while since he'd seen her.  Lately, she was always busy with her sister in the library.

                "Kit, where are you going?" she hissed as he stood out, grabbing hold of his shirt, but he quickly shook her off.

                "I need to find her," he told her over the chaos.

                This was like a nightmare – no it _was_ a nightmare.  People were dying and he didn't know where Madi was.  For all he knew, she was…  She was…

                He ran off without another word.

He searched the first floor, avoiding the armoured men as best as he could, but didn't even catch a glimpse of her amongst the panic.  When he sneaked up the stairs, however, he immediately spotted her with her sister.

                "Madi!" he called out in a hushed voice, glad to see that she was alright.  Her eyes lit up when she saw him.  She let go of her sister's hand and began to run towards him.

                Just as he was about to meet her halfway, she abruptly stopped.  Her eyes looked at a point over his shoulder and then, they tilted downward, watching the dark spot that was blooming from her chest.

                "Wha…?"  Her body was suddenly assaulted by a barrage of bullets that ripped through her body.

                "No.  No!" he screamed, running towards her and held her broken body against him.  "Madi, no!  You can't leave me!"

                "What the fuck?!" Violet screamed, running over to her sister. 

                "Kit Walker?"  The murderer walked up in front of him.  "We know the truth about Bloody Face and – "

                "I don't fuckin' care!  Why…  Why did you…?"

                The solider lifted his helmet up.  "We also know how the Sisters of Briarcliff have exploited you.  Her crimes were properly dealt with.  You no longer have to live in fear of – "

                Kit threw his head back and burst out laughing, tears streaming down his face.  "Exploited?  I _loved_ her!"  Her couldn't believe what he was hearing.  Did this bastard really think he was doing him a favour?  Did he really think that his Madi would ever do anything to harm him?  He was the one who always worried that he was pushing her to go too quickly.  And now…

                And now…

                He looked down to see her half-hooded, lifeless eyes staring at nothing.  "I love you," he sobbed, bringing her body to his chest.  "I love you, Madi.  I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."  He rocked back and forth, wishing and wishing that none of this was real.  It couldn't possibly be real.

                "Come on."  One of the men tried to pry him away from her, but he held on tight.  It was already decided that he was going to die here, now.  There was no Kit without his Madi. 

                He stuck out a hand and grabbed for the handgun that was tucked in the black, leather belt.  "Damn it!"

                Pain exploded in his head and he knew no more.

…

                I stared at her beautiful face, looking sadly back at me.  "I'm dead," I stated.  "And you're here to take me away."  But I didn't want to go.  I couldn't leave Kit by himself.  This wasn't right!  I wasn't ready to leave!

                She began to reach over to me.

                Something cold slithered around my waist.  "No, you're _mine_ ," it hissed.  "Take your claws off her."

                Shachath turned to me.  "This is it, my child.  You may come with me and I will take you to where you will be at peace.  There is no more need for hurt or despair."  She held out one hand and I was so tempted to accept, but as I took one step towards her, I was held back by the dark form.

                While I was distracted, it had curled completely around me.  "Look at her angelic form," it sneered.  "Do you know what will happen when you go with her?  She'll keep you from seeing your mate."

                I looked up, startled.  No more Kit?

                "Only because he will keep him from you," she shot back, narrowing her eyes.

                This was what she meant by my choice.  If I went with her, I won't ever have to deal with the demon again.  She promised me a world of peace and no more pain, but could that possibly be true?  She never said anything about happiness and without Kit, there would be nothing but pain.

                "I…"  But to not have to deal with this anymore…

                "It is no fault of mine that he offered his soul to me."  The dark mass chuckled.  "It is really all up to you, isn't it?  Madi…"  A cold puff of air caressed my cheek.  "I have no intentions of separating the two of you."

                The choice was obvious then, wasn't it?  What a cruel ultimatum.  "You always knew you were going to win," I whispered.

                He purred.  "But I have never once lied to you.  Why don't we wait for him together?"

                I gave one last look at Shachath before nodding.

                Kit would always be my choice.

                 _Always._


	18. Chapter 18

                Kit's head was pounding as he was taken forcefully out of the asylum.  He screamed and cried.  It was a lie.  What he saw couldn't possible have been Madi.  _His_ Madi.

                But then why would Violet be acting the same way? 

                He turned his head to look over his shoulder.  The hall was shrouded in darkness and there were men blocking his sight, but he could still see her pale face staring unseeingly at him as everyone shuffled around.

                "Give her back to me!" he shouted and punched a soldier in the neck, catching him by surprise.  The buffed man stumbled back before being replaced by another.  "Madi!  _MADI!_ "

                The world became nothing but a painful blur for him.  People were talking as if he wasn't there and perhaps he wasn't.  He certainly didn't feel as if he was still living on.

                He remembered being jostled around like a puppet.  Police were involved and he was held in a cell for two days before they made him sign something and then, as promised, he was set free and allowed to return to his empty house.

                How many hours and days had he spent looking forward to this moment?  He had imagined it very differently.  Instead of alone and numb, he would be cuddling with Madi and taking her to ice cream.  He could imagine the look on her face as he stole a taste from her cone. 

                There was never a time that he had seen her eat ice cream, but he guessed that she would've liked chocolate – dark chocolate.  He saw her on their bed with droplets of ice cream sliding down her milky skin. 

                His cock twitched.

                _"Kit!"_

                He tilted his head back and groaned.  His hand gripped the quickly hardening flesh. 

                _She stared at him with a smile on her face and pulled him down for a kiss.  "I love you."_

He breath came out in pants. 

                _"Kit!"_

                His hip lifted from the bed and he let out a strangled yell.  " _MADI!"_          

                He spent many nights like this, fantasising about her.   It was the only way he knew how to keep living for the next day.

 

                A cold breeze brushed against him.  This happened quite often.  If he closed his eyes, he could almost imagine that it was her.  Sometimes, the cold presence would persist and stay with him as he cried.  It comforted him and he'd be able to fall into a fitful sleep.

                One day, as he was staring blankly at the television screen, Lana's face appeared.  It never occurred to him why everything happened as they did, but now, it had finally become clear. 

                Lana Winters.

                She had a book outlining the horrors of Briarcliff.  Instead of targeting individuals, she demonised all the employees as a whole.  She spoke of nymphomaniacs and murders and abuse. 

                Not once did he see any remorse for the tragedy she had wrecked on everyone.  She even took the entire credit of exposing Thredson.

                He could feel his anger boil over.  It was all her fault that Madi was gone.  Did she even realise what she had done?!  All the innocent lives lost…  Even if she did, he could hear her voice in his mind justifying what had happened as if it was her right. 

                "What I have accomplished is for the greater good," she'd start.  "Years from now, everyone will learn from what's happened here."

                Of course, she had an excuse for everything.  She knew exactly what to say to make herself look like the hero.

                Kit clenched his hands and threw his glass at the opposite wall.  His rage quickly evaporated as he thought of Madi and the tears streamed down his face.  She was gone…  Even now, he found it hard to believe.

                He was an absolute mess.  How much time had passed since that day? 

                Looking to the side, his eyes settled on a single letter on the table.  He knew exactly what it said word for word.  How many hours had he spent reading it?

                His fingers brushed the worm piece of paper that was threatening to fall apart if he picked it up one more time.  With a sigh, he crumpled the letter in his hand and stuffed it into his pocket before rushing out the door.

                The trip to her house was short.  He never realised how close they lived.  If he had known…  If they had met each other sooner…  Perhaps none of this would've happened.

                He stood in front of the familiar door and knocked on the hard wood, despite his every instinct in his body telling him to climb that tree leading to her room.  This would be the first time he'd ever enter this house like a normal human being and the very reason for it wasn't even present.

                The person who opened the door was someone he had seen many times before, but had never seen him.

                "Yes?" the tired man answered.  The bags underneath his eyes and the scruff on his face made it obvious that they were probably in similar states.

                "H-hello," his hoard voice cracked.  "I’m here to see…  Violet Harmon.  I was a… close friend of M-Madi…  Madison."

                The dark eyes narrowed at him.  "I know who you are.  Madison was obsessed over you.  She'd stay up all night looking at the newspapers, trying to find the real Blood Face.  I was sure to tell her to give up because I saw no reason to question their judgment."  His face softened.  "She had been right all along, hadn't she?"

                Kit didn't know what to say, but his lips began to tremble and the tears pricked his eyes.  He hadn't realised that he still had tears left to shed.

                "Come in.  Violet has been expecting you."

                The door was held open for him and he walked in without a word.  He remembered every half, every wall, and every room.  His feet led him up the stairs and stopped at her door.

                He leaned his forehead on the cold wood and cried.  They had a dream together.  It was simple, but happiness didn't have to be difficult.  All he wanted was her.  At the very least, he thought he had had more time.

                "…Kit?"

                He wiped his eyes and looked wearily at the shorter form.  "Violet."  He looked at the sister of the one he loved most.  Despite the tired expression, she actually looked better.  Her hair was shiny and her pale arms only showed the pink scares of her past.  In all the confusion, many of the inmates were set free.  Some went back to their old ways, while others tried to be better.  Some, however, were unfit to go back to their own world and took their own lives – either by accident or on purpose.

                "Go in, Kit," Violet whispered.  "There's someone waiting for you."

                His foolish heart skipped a beat at the notion that he would see her again.  HE opened the door and immediately reprimanded himself for being so silly.  Of course, she wasn't there.  His Madi was gone and all he had were the memories of her haunting him.

                "Violet, I – "

  
                The door was shut in his face when he turned around and he heard a soft apology as he tried futilely to get out.  It was locked shut.

…

                Transitioning back home was difficult.  True that she hadn't been there for long, but it felt like she was still in a waking nightmare and she wasn't sure if it was ever going to end, now. 

                Ever since she was born, her sister was there.  Her sister taught her the alphabets  and how to count.   She was also the one who told her stories of mom.  In a household where one parent was dead and the other was mentally absent, her sister fell into the role like a natural.  There hadn't been any doubt in her mind that Madison would've been a great mother.  It also hadn't ever occurred to her that she wouldn't have had the chance to do so. 

                That was why Violet always thought it odd that her sister had taken the celibate role at Briarcliff, but nothing shocked her more when she caught her with another man who was clad in a rubber suit.  It was so shocking that Violet had returned to her room and fell right back asleep to try to convince herself that it was all a dream.  Then, she laughed the next morning.

                Innocent, goody-goody Madison Harmon was into that kinky shit.  Maybe it was hereditary, after all.  Was it from mom's side or dad's?  No, Ben was far too stiff to be into any of that.  With her memories of him, she was surprised three children were conceived.  Had he been like this before mom's death? 

                Violet couldn't recall her sister mentioning it.  She truly believed that Ben was born with that stick in his ass and it had been growing there for a very long time.

                She wasn't sure if it was her dysfunctional family that made her who she was – a complete fuck up, or maybe it was just that stupid demon.  It was all its fault that everything had fallen apart, now.  It had to be.  What happened wasn't something normal.  It must've done something to cause all that chaos.  That demon was the one who ultimately killed her sister!

                And now, the demon was in her brother.  Violet couldn't even count how many days she's thought of killing herself, but she knew she had to live on.  She was strong.  She had been through so much and she was not going to give up, now. 

                She also knew that Kit must've been hurting as much as she was.  Violet knew of her sister's obsession and even though it seemed very unlikely, she surmised that the man in the rubber suit was Kit.  After seeing all that she had seen, she didn't think too much on it.  All she cared about was that someone out there understood exactly what she was feeling, so she found his address – it wasn't exactly difficult after he was publicised as Bloody Face – and sent him the letter.

                At least, it was all good intentions.  She wanted them to get over it together.  She wanted him to know that he wasn't alone, but then Michael – the demon – began to plant ideas in her mind.  They weren't _bad_ ideas.

                The demon told her that Kit Walker had already sold his soul and it could easily take him to see Madison, again.  At that thought, Violet could only feel envy.  She didn't want to die, but she wanted to be able to be with her sister after death.

                It didn't sound as if it was going to offer her to same deal, but she wasn't going to let Kit squander his. 

                When Kit finally arrived, months later, she was happy for him.  That didn't mean she didn't have her doubts.  Violet knew it was morally wrong to send someone to a demon, but if he came here, that would mean he didn't let go of Madison. 

                She really shouldn't be feeling guilty like this.  It was for the best.  Maybe then, the demon would leave her and Ben alone.

..

                Kit couldn't understand what just happened.  Did Violet lead him here only to lock him in this room?

                "M-Madi!"

                He turned back to see a familiar face.  Michael had grown so much since he had last seen him.  "Hi…" 

                "Madi, silly!" the child giggled, clapping his hands.

                Kit blinked in confusion.  "What are you talking about?  Is she…  Is she here?"  Was she really present or was everything merely his imagination?

                Michael tilted his head.  "Do you want to see Madi?"

                "Is she…"

                "Does Kit want to be with Madi?"

                "Please.."  He'd do anything to see her, again.

 _Anything_.

                Even if it meant dying.

                Even if it meant losing everything else.

                Michael bounced on the bed and Kit sat beside the tiny form.

                "Kit miss Madi?"

                "So, so much," he breathed.

                "Close your eyes."

                So he laid down and did just that.

…

                When he opened them, again, he was still in her room, but what greeted him was her beautiful smile and her soft hair tickling his nose.

                "Madi," he whispered, happily smiling back at her.  Before she could even speak, she was pulled into a tight hug.  Her familiar scent made him feel peace for the first time since the disaster at Briarcliff Manor.

                She sighed, completely relaxing against him.  "You should've moved on.  You know I'll always be with you.  You know I'd wait for you forever."

                His grip on her tightened.  "I tried and I immediately knew it wasn't going to work.  I really wanted to live for you, but I think I died that day when I saw…"  He blinked away those images of her bloody form.  "I was nothing but a shell waiting for the day I could finally be with you, again."

                He felt her shake and large, wet droplets hit his neck.  "I love you so much, Kit."

                "I love you, too, Madi."

…

                When I saw Kit _see_ me for the first time since the incident, my heart skipped a beat.  I hadn't been able to keep the demon from luring him into an early death, but that selfish side of me was so very happy with the fact that we could truly be together, again.

                It was one thing stalking him everywhere he went and although I was glad that I was still able to see him every day.  It hurt knowing how he was consumed by what happened. 

                Now, I was able to properly touch him, hold him, and be held. 

                Suddenly, being manipulated and captured by a demon didn't seem so bad anymore.  Sure, I was never going to be able to find whatever _peace_ Shachath promised, but I had Kit and that was all I ever wanted.  I was also able to see Violet and Ben a little longer.

                "Madi!"

                We broke apart and I picked up little Michael.  He beamed back at me and snuggled against us.

                On this plane, I was reunited with Michael.  He was far too young to understand the situation, but ignorance was bliss. I was going to do everything I could do keep him happy.

                Kit blinked at the small form on his chest before looking at me with wide eyes.  "What do I do?" he whispered in urgency as if there was time bomb on him instead.

                I giggled.  "Just let him sleep there."

                Hesitantly, he gave Michael a small poke on the cheek before quickly retracting his finger in shock – or horror.  "He's so soft, Madi…" He gazed pleadingly at me.  "I'm going to break him!"

                With that, I couldn't suppress my laughter any longer.  Hearing this, Michael opened his eyes and began to laugh, too.  The suddenly movement only spiralled Kit down into another pit of utter confusion. 

                "I wish we could've had one of our own," I wistfully told him as I held Michael against me. 

                His eyes saddened.  "I’m sorry, Madi."  His thumb drew circles on my hip.  "I would've loved to marry you and have little aliens running around, too."

                I whacked him.  Little aliens?!  "They're not aliens!  You were a child once too and now you've grown up all big and strong."

                "But I was never _that_ small."

                His incredulous expression was enough to send me into another fit of giggles.  "I'm sure you were."  I kissed him on the cheek and grinned.

                He shot me an unreadable look before pulling me back for another kiss.  "I love you."

                I hummed and nuzzled his neck. 

                As I was starting to doze off, a chuckle met my ears.  Immediately, I was on guard.

                "Look at you three," it hissed.  "Happy, now?"

                I furrowed my brows and clutched tighter on to Kit, afraid that it was going to take him away from me.

                Its dark form was looming over us, floating above the bed.  The glowing red orbs pierced through us.  It bared its teeth in a wide grin.

                The shadows seemed to move with it and I wondered if it was in control of that too, or perhaps the shadows were part of it.

                "Enjoy it while you can."  It zoomed inches away from our faces.  "Because there will be no peace for either of you. Not until _I_ get my happy ending."  With that, a sharp pain burst behind my eyes and I felt as if I was being ripped apart.

                From beside me, I could hear Kit's cry of pain echoing mine.

_He was getting on to a bus with a cheeky smile and waved._

                "M-Madi, I…"

_I saw him on the table.  His eyes were still open, staring at nothing._

                "No!" I screamed.

                Before I could even comprehend what was happening, I could comprehend nothing at all.


End file.
